


Entangled

by enigmaticblue



Series: Entangled 'Verse [1]
Category: Eureka
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-03
Updated: 2010-07-08
Packaged: 2017-10-09 21:43:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 48,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/91908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Proving string theory is one thing; dealing with the consequences of tangible proof is something else.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Nathan buttoned his jacket against the cool evening air, the faint drizzle causing a shiver to run through him. The footsteps behind him were a faint echo of his own on the wet pavement, and he increased his pace slightly, growing alarmed when the person behind him did the same. Nathan had first sensed he was being followed a few blocks back, but had hoped it was his overactive imagination.

 

Jack’s voice echoed in his head. “You’re a damn fool for not taking one of those DOD goons with you; that’s what they’re there for.”

 

Of course, if Jack had still been around, he would have been walking next to Nathan, armed to the teeth, and Nathan wouldn’t have needed the DOD goons. And even if Jack hadn’t been by his side, Nathan wouldn’t have taken the risk, because he would have been living for their next too-brief tryst.

 

But Jack was dead—killed by the bullet meant for Nathan, doing the job he’d long since ceased being paid to do.

 

Whatever the risk, however, there were times when Nathan wanted some control, even if it just meant going out for a walk without company. He wanted a little normalcy—even if Nathan Stark had never fit under anyone’s definition of normal.

 

Nathan ran a hand over his damp hair, moving a little faster as he ducked around a corner, and the footsteps behind him redoubled their pace. Nathan cursed himself for taking this route; the business park was always deserted Saturday afternoons, and no one was around to hear sounds of an altercation, or shots fired.

 

And maybe his work had been the only thing keeping him alive for the last few months, but Nathan had no desire to die like this. It would be too much like to giving up.

 

Nathan began to run, hearing a curse from behind him, and he ducked instinctively at the sharp report of a gun. Out of the corner of his eye, Nathan saw the brick just to the left and slightly above his head explode, and a shard of brick cut his cheek.

 

He ignored the sting and the slow drip of blood, and heard a second shot. This time, he felt a sharp heat in his right arm, and the pain-fueled adrenalin that rushed through his system added speed to his steps.

 

Nathan was running full-out when the sky tore open in front of him, and he had only a split second to make a decision.

 

Better an uncertain future than certain death, Nathan thought, and he dove headfirst through the rip in space.

 

The transition was indescribable, and seemed to last forever. The sensation was electric—hot and cold at the same time—and it stunned him enough so that he lost his footing immediately when he felt a hard surface under his feet again. He landed—injured arm first—on a white tiled floor, and pain caused his vision to gray out.

 

And if that wasn’t enough, Nathan heard an unfamiliar voice call out, “Watch out! She’s gonna blow!” seconds later, and he automatically covered his head with his good arm.

 

Nathan heard a mechanical whine, and then an explosion. White-hot pain traced a line across his right shoulder, and this time his vision went black.

 

He stirred slowly, his senses returning with an abrupt jolt when he felt warm, strong hands turn him over gently. “Hey, you okay?” A pause. “_Stark_?”

 

Nathan blinked, seeing a familiar pair of blue eyes. He watched as the color drained from Jack’s face, and Nathan realized that Jack’s expression probably mirrored his own—that of a man seeing someone he’d thought long dead and in the ground.

 

Nathan _knew_ this wasn’t the Jack he’d known—_that_ Jack Carter had died in his arms five months before, after throwing himself in front of a bullet. _This_ Jack Carter was alive, his strong hands gripping Nathan’s shoulders tightly, wearing a tan uniform that bore no resemblance to the suit and tie he’d worn while on duty—or the jeans and faded t-shirt Jack preferred on an off day.

 

But even having made those observations in a split second, Nathan couldn’t resist reaching up and pulling Jack’s lips to his own. _This_ Jack might be with another version of himself, or with someone completely different, or even with no one at all, but Nathan poured everything he’d felt in those last moments when he’d held Jack’s lifeless body.

 

_I love you. I need you. Please don’t leave me._

 

Nathan pulled back when he realized that Jack wasn’t responding. At least Jack’s befuddled expression bore no hint of anger or disgust, and he helped Nathan to his feet with gentle hands.

 

“You okay?” Jack repeated, and Nathan noted when Jack’s eyes noted the cut on his cheek, and the blood on the sleeve of his jacket.

 

Nathan nodded. “Scrapes and bruises.”

 

Jack glanced around, then yelled unceremoniously, “Fargo!”

 

A thin young man appeared almost immediately, coughing slightly on the smoke from the still-sizzling machinery. “I’m okay, Sheriff.”

 

“Good. Now what the _hell_ did you do?”

 

Jack’s barked demand had Nathan suppressing a grin, and he glanced around the wreckage, recognizing the remains of a high-tech lab, not too different from the one the DOD had provided for him in D.C.

 

Nathan caught a bit of Fargo’s babbled explanation, enough to know that it involved string theory and twin particles, and that his appearance was more by accident than design. In a way, it made him feel better—since it made it unlikely that it was a part of a plot on his life—even though Jack’s frown was deepening with every passing moment.

 

“Okay, Fargo, in English,” Jack snapped, clearly trying to summon the remaining shreds of patience, and Nathan turned his snort of laughter into a cough.

 

Nathan had annoyed Jack enough in the past to know exactly what he sounded like when he was ready to lose his temper, and Jack wasn’t far from exploding now.

 

“I believe Fargo brought me in from an alternate universe,” Nathan supplied, watching Fargo gape at Jack like a fish, clearly intimidated.

 

Jack sighed. “Does this mean another explosion, or the collapse of the universe and the destruction of everything we know, Fargo?”

 

“No, Sheriff,” Fargo managed to choke out. “I promise. It wasn’t even supposed to open any doors, but—it did?”

 

“And there was an explosion because?” Jack prompted.

 

“Because the containment field failed?” Fargo hazarded. “It wasn’t meant to open up a gateway, or anything like that. The power—”

 

Jack held up a hand. “Okay, I got it. As long as you can assure me that the world isn’t going to end in the next fifteen minutes—”

 

“I promise,” Fargo interjected.

 

“—then I’ll let you get Stark here to the infirmary, while I talk to Allison. I don’t want her to hear about this through the grapevine.”

 

“Dr. Blake was on a conference call with the joint chiefs just a little bit ago,” Fargo supplied helpfully. “She should still be in her office.”

 

The name rang a bell for Nathan, but it took him a few seconds to place it. “Dr. Allison Blake?”

 

Jack and Fargo turned to stare at him, eyes wide as though he’d just committed a huge faux pas. “Do you know Dr. Blake?” Jack prompted, his voice almost gentle.

 

“I’ve run into her a few times,” Nathan admitted. “She works for the Department of Defense, doesn’t she?” At their incredulous expressions, he added, “Should I know her?”

 

“Never mind,” Jack murmured. “Fargo, take care of him. I’ve got to find Allison.”

 

Nathan watched Jack stride out through a door that opened automatically, then closed behind him, and he turned to Fargo, who was staring at him as though Nathan embodied the second coming.

 

“Dr. Stark,” Fargo finally managed. “It’s really good to see you again.”

 

Nathan decided that it wasn’t worth pointing out that Fargo was seeing him for the first time. Instead, he glanced around the lab, his interest piqued in spite of his throbbing arm and shoulder. “How does it feel to have proven string theory?”

 

Fargo blushed and beamed at him. “Good. Really good, especially since it means that you’re here.” He glanced at the blood that dripped from Nathan’s hand onto the floor and gulped. “Let’s get you to the infirmary. I don’t want the sheriff mad at me.”

 

Nathan followed Fargo out the door, feeling a smile pull at his lips when he remembered Jack—alive and well, and apparently the sheriff of somewhere. “No, we wouldn’t want that,” he agreed. “So, where exactly am I?”

 

Fargo’s expression was puzzled. “Eureka,” he replied, as if that would tell Nathan everything he needed to know.

 

“Eureka?” Nathan echoed. When Fargo stared at him silently, he added, “I’m assuming we’re still in the United States.”

 

“Uh, yeah. Oregon.” Fargo pushed his glasses back up on his nose. “You’ve never heard of Eureka?”

 

“No.”

 

Fargo gulped audibly. “Oh, boy. This is going to be interesting.”

 

~~~~~

 

The point of the experiment he’d been running had been to explore how entangled particles acted when exposed to high concentrations of energy. Fargo had _not_ expected his experiment to blow up—let alone open a door to another universe running parallel to their own.

 

Fargo hovered inside the door to the infirmary, watching as Dr. Stark removed his jacket and shirt with help from one of the nurses. Fargo had never seen Dr. Stark dressed like this, not when he’d been out of a suit for whatever reason, not even when he was fresh from his workout at the gym.

 

Nathan Stark did _not_ wear well-worn jeans, heavy boots, threadbare t-shirts, or canvas jackets. Nor did he ever go anywhere looking shaggy, as though he’d spent the last few weeks in the woods.

 

And Fargo had never thought of Dr. Stark as someone who spent a lot of time camping.

 

Fargo couldn’t quite decide what to do; part of him wanted to talk to Dr. Stark, who seemed a lot more approachable than his counterpart. Part of him wanted to check on the data collected to see what had gone wrong—or maybe gone right.

 

One of the infirmary doctors was currently stitching up the wound on Dr. Stark’s back, and Fargo decided that now was not the time for interruptions. He could talk to Dr. Stark later.

 

Right now, he had a lab to clean up, and data to analyze. Assuming he could figure out what had happened, and assuming the whole thing didn’t remain classified, Fargo might even get a Nobel out of it.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack swiped a hand over his mouth, his lips still tingling. He’d been inappropriately turned on by Stark’s kiss, considering that Stark would have been Allison’s husband right now had he survived.

 

_A_ version of Stark, anyway—this Stark had kissed him as though his life depended upon it, and had looked at Jack with something that looked a hell of a lot like love.

 

Then again, Jack would have known that this wasn’t the Stark who had dissolved before his eyes even without that uncharacteristic gesture. This Stark was thinner, without the bulk that only came from hours in the gym, and he had the pallor of someone who rarely saw the sun. His hair was longer and shaggier, his beard scruffy and untrimmed. The well-worn jeans, blue t-shirt and brown denim jacket were nothing like the suits he’d favored in Eureka.

 

_This_ Stark looked like someone who didn’t much care about his appearance, and hadn’t cared for a very long time.

 

Jack hurried towards Allison’s office, knowing how quickly word spread around Global Dynamics; he didn’t want her to hear that Nathan Stark had returned, or that his ghost was floating around the halls, before he had a chance to talk to her.

 

He caught Allison just as she was leaving her office, a worried frown on her face. “Carter! Did you hear—”

 

“I was close,” Jack assured her, putting a steadying hand on her arm. “It was Fargo’s lab, and he’s fine.”

 

Allison seemed to catch his deliberate omission. “Was anyone with him?”

 

“No one was badly injured.” Jack nudged her back into her office. “Let’s talk first, okay?”

 

Allison allowed him to lead her inside. “What is it?”

 

Jack sat down in one of the chairs facing her desk, waiting for her to join him. “What do you know about Fargo’s experiment?”

 

Jack was glad to see that Allison trusted him enough to answer his question without a show of impatience. “He was testing the hypothesis that other universes exist.” Allison’s eyes widened. “What happened?”

 

“He brought something—someone—from a different universe,” Jack replied softly. “That’s where the explosion comes in. Apparently, he wasn’t expecting it, and the seal didn’t hold.”

 

“Who, Jack?”

 

He could see that she already suspected; her eyes were huge and shiny, and Jack hated to see the flare of hope. “It’s Stark—Nathan,” Jack corrected himself. “He’s different, though. I think you’ll understand when you see him.”

 

Allison took a shaky breath. “Did he—what did he say?”

 

“Not much,” Jack replied honestly, then added, “You should know that he didn’t seem to know you, although he thought you worked for the Department of Defense.”

 

Allison was already shaking her head, as though to deny Jack’s words. “He didn’t know me.”

 

“Or Fargo.”

 

Allison was a pro at reading his omissions by now, Jack thought. She immediately asked, “And you?”

 

Jack shrugged. “He seemed to know me pretty well.”

 

Allison put her hands over her eyes, and Jack ached to reach out and comfort her. He’d done everything in his power to simply be there for her since Stark’s death, trying to be content with her friendship, and not pressing for anything more.

 

In truth, Jack had given up, his guilt making it impossible for him to ask for anything more.

 

“I want to see him.” Allison looked up, her eyes full of determination.

 

Jack had known she would, and he nodded. “I’ll walk you down there.”

 

They made the trip to the infirmary in silence, Jack’s hands shoved deep in his pockets as his mind whirled with possibilities. He had no idea what his reaction to the kiss _should_ be; this might be Nathan, but it was a different Nathan than he’d known. It wasn’t like he was stealing Allison’s boyfriend.

 

And really, Jack hadn’t kissed Nathan; it was the other way around.

 

They both stopped just inside the infirmary, spotting Nathan across the room. He sat on the edge of an exam table, shirt and jacket off, blood marking his cheek and back. Jack had seen Nathan’s bare chest on two separate occasions, and he could see the differences even more clearly now.

 

“Oh.” Allison’s exhalation told Jack that she understood what he’d meant. “He’s—”

 

“Yeah.” Jack reached out, touching Allison’s arm in a supportive gesture. “Whatever you need, Allison. I mean it. You just tell me what I can do.”

 

“Thank you, Jack.” Allison touched his shoulder in a friendly gesture. “If you’ll excuse me.”

 

“Yeah, sure.” Jack stepped back, just out of sight of the examining table. He lasted for about thirty seconds before repositioning himself so that he could see Nathan and Allison, but they couldn’t see him.

 

Jack could see the tension in Allison’s shoulders as she stood in front of Nathan. The other man scratched at his beard, looking uncomfortable. Allison reached out to touch Nathan’s face, then drew her hand back before making contact.

 

Nathan reached out, grasping Allison’s hand, his expression sympathetic, but with the sort of compassion reserved for a stranger or an acquaintance.

 

Allison took a step backwards, breaking contact, saying something that Jack couldn’t hear, and he realized that Allison was on her way out. Jack moved quickly, not wanting her to know that he’d been watching.

 

“Carter, I need you to take care of him,” Allison said as soon as she saw him. “I—I have to figure out how to explain this to Mansfield, and get things settled. There’s paperwork, and finances to figure out, and I can’t have Kevin confused.”

 

“I understand,” Jack replied gently.

 

“He doesn’t have anywhere to go.” Her voice trembled slightly. “I don’t know—”

 

“Allison, I get it.” Jack put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. “I told you—whatever you needed me to do, I’ll take care of it. I’ll take care of him, too.”

 

“Thank you,” Allison breathed. “It’s just—I can’t do this, Jack.”

 

Jack nodded. “I understand. Don’t worry about it.”

 

“There are some clothes—things of Nathan’s I hadn’t cleared out yet—in my garage.” Allison took a deep breath. “You know the code?”

 

“I know the code.” Jack drew her into a brief, friendly hug. “Go. I’ll take care of him.”

 

“Thank you,” she repeated. “I’ll see you later?”

 

She made it into a question, and Jack nodded, watching as she rushed out of the infirmary. He headed over to Nathan, who was staring at the floor, apparently lost in thought.

 

“Hey.” Jack spoke softly, not wanting to startle the other man.

 

Nathan glanced up. “How is she?”

 

“I’m not sure,” Jack admitted. “It’s been a rough few months.”

 

A frown creased Nathan’s brow. “How long has it been?”

 

“Five months.” Jack spoke without thinking, not realizing until that moment that he had been keeping track of the time. “You—he—” Jack stopped, unable to figure out how to refer to the dead Stark and this Stark.

 

“Call me Nate.” Stark’s gaze was tender, and Jack was forcibly reminded of the day the other Stark had died. “Allison said that no one called the other me that. I thought it might be a way for you to distinguish between us.”

 

Jack nodded slowly. “Yeah. Stark died to save the universe. There was a time loop, and there was only one way to stop it.”

 

“And he and Allison—”

 

“That was supposed to have been their wedding day.” Jack found it easier now. Nate sat in front of him; Stark had died. “Look, uh, Allison asked me to…” He trailed off, realizing that his initial explanation might be insulting.

 

“She asked you to look after me?” Nate supplied easily. “Yeah, I thought she might. I told her I didn’t mind.”

 

Jack scratched the back of his head. “About earlier—”

 

“I’d tell you I was sorry, but I’m not.” Nate interrupted him, not letting Jack finish. “But I know you’re not him. I’m not going to push it. Just—seeing you alive is enough for me.”

 

“How long?” Jack asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

 

“Five months.” Nate gave him a wry smile. “This is more like a mirror universe than a parallel one.”

 

Jack frowned. “_Star Trek_?”

 

Nate gave him a delighted smile. “Yeah. I wasn’t sure…” He trailed off. “Never mind. Like I said, I’m not going to push anything.”

 

“You ready to get out of here?” Jack asked, uncomfortable.

 

Nate nodded. “Yeah.”

 

Jack found Nathan’s torn, bloody t-shirt and jacket without too much trouble. Nathan glanced at the bloodstains and tears with a rueful smile, then pulled the shirt over his head and shrugged into the jacket with a wince. Stark would have made Fargo find him clean clothing; Nathan didn’t seem to care one way or another.

 

“Fargo told me that we were in Eureka,” Nathan said as they made their way out of the infirmary, through the halls of GD. “He didn’t tell me how a U.S. Marshal wound up the sheriff of a crazy town in Oregon, though.”

 

“Car crash,” Jack replied, deciding that it was easier to explain than it was to question why Nathan wanted to know. “I was retrieving my daughter.”

 

“Zoe? How is she?”

 

Nathan sounded interested, as though he really cared, and Jack found himself responding without thinking about it. “Good. She’s good. She’s about to graduate from high school.”

 

“She’s with you?”

 

“Yeah.” Jack didn’t bother asking if he had custody of Zoe in the other universe, knowing how lucky he’d been to get her in this one. “Look, we need to stop by Allison’s to get you some clothes, but once you get cleaned up, do you want to get something to eat? We can stop by Café Diem, or order a pizza and get a beer.”

 

Nathan’s eyes lit up at that idea. “Extra mushrooms?”

 

Jack eyed him for a moment; he had no idea if this was a memory, or a preference that remained true, no matter how many dimensions were crossed.

 

“Sounds good.”

 

And while Jack had planned on dropping Nathan by the bed and breakfast, he now figured that he’d offer Nathan the guest room. It would offer Nathan more privacy, and it would cut down on town gossip, at least for the time being.

 

It was the least Jack could do for the double of the man who had saved Eureka, and the universe.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 

Allison called Kevin’s nanny as soon as she left the infirmary, letting Cara know that she’d be home late and warning her that the Sheriff would be by to get some things out of the garage. She wanted to give Carter plenty of time to get Nathan’s things and leave before she went home.

 

And she needed to come to grips with what had happened, with the fact that some version of the man she’d loved was in the infirmary.

 

Allison closed her eyes, remembering Nathan’s thinner frame, the regret on his face when he’d realized who she was. “I’m sorry,” he’d said, with a real apology in his eyes. “We only met a couple of times, and I didn’t know you—her—that well.”

 

Rubbing her eyes, Allison tried to focus on her computer screen, but the words blurred in front of her eyes. She blinked, trying to get rid of the moisture that clouded her vision. “No. Dammit, no.”

 

She’d just been getting over Nathan’s death; she had just started to move on, believing that she could eventually find someone else. Allison had even begun to think that she and Jack could build on the chemistry between them. The timing had always been wrong before, but now—

 

But now the man she loved had returned from the dead, even though he wasn’t really the same man.

 

The intercom buzzed, and her secretary’s voice said, “Dr. Blake? You have a phone call from Vice Chancellor Fredericks on line 2.”

 

“Thank you,” Allison said, clearing her throat, and ruthlessly suppressing all emotion. “I’ve got it.”

 

She was still the head of GD, and she was a mother, and Allison didn’t need more than that. She wouldn’t allow herself to need more than that.

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan leaned forward slightly in the passenger seat of the Jeep to keep pressure off of his sore back. Jack had ordered him to stay put, reminding Nathan that he wasn’t supposed to exert himself, and he shouldn’t carry anything.

 

The doctors at Global Dynamics had done a good job of patching him up; Nathan had been intrigued by the laser stitches, and the local anesthetic had taken care of most of the pain. Jack had insisted on filling the prescriptions for antibiotics and pain killers before they left the building, and Nathan had gotten the impression that the infirmary and pharmacy at Global was the only place in town to go.

 

It made sense, he supposed. According to Fargo, Eureka was relatively small, only 3,000 people, and everyone there either worked for Global, or was employed in a support capacity.

 

“This town is state of the art,” Fargo had enthused. “There’s nowhere else like it.”

 

Nathan had his own theories about that; he was certain that he would have known of Eureka’s existence had there been any place like it in his own universe. It would have been easy enough for the DOD to send him to a town they controlled for his own safety. There was no way that Sullivan’s people would have been able to reach him in a place like this.

 

That meant that one of the big differences between his universe and this one was Eureka’s existence. It would explain why Nathan didn’t know Allison Blake, or Fargo, but was well acquainted with Jack Carter.

 

A movement out of the corner of his eye startled Nathan, and he saw Jack approaching the Jeep hauling two large bags. Nathan quickly exited the vehicle and opened the back.

 

“I thought I told you to stay put,” Jack said, shooting Nathan a look that indicated he hadn’t had much hope of Nathan doing what he was told.

 

“I’ve had worse,” Nathan said easily, and sincerely.

 

Jack shot him a surprised look, but didn’t say anything other than, “Thanks.”

 

Nathan decided not to reply, climbing into the passenger seat again once the bags were stowed away. He remained silent on the drive, staring out the window at the rather quaint storefronts and wide streets, the well-manicured lawns and spacious parks. Eureka appeared idyllic, so far removed from the Maryland suburb he’d been in just hours before that he wondered if he was dreaming.

 

Being in this clean, safe town, with Jack driving a sheriff’s department vehicle, had Nathan tempted to pinch himself.

 

“Here we are.” Jack parked in front of what looked to be an underground military bunker of some sort. “I know that it doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside is surprisingly comfortable.”

 

Nathan shrugged. “I trust you.” He glanced back at the bags. “Are you sure you don’t need help?”

 

“If you rip those stitches, Allison will kill me.” Jack grinned at him. “And trust me, you do _not_ want to see her angry.”

 

“I believe it.” Nathan itched to help, but he knew when to back off. Jack—at least the one he’d known—had never sought conflict, but he’d had a stubborn streak a mile wide. Jack had once insisted that he knew when to pick his battles, even if Nathan didn’t.

 

Nathan followed Jack down a set of dank stairs, into what could be charitably described as a hole in the ground. “SARAH, door!” Jack called as he approached what looked like a vault.

 

The door swung open, and Nathan heard a vaguely feminine voice say, “Good evening, Sheriff. You’re later than usual.”

 

“I got held up, SARAH. This is—”

 

“Dr. Nathan Stark,” the voice supplied helpfully. “He looks different than he did the last time he was in visual range.”

 

“Uh, yeah,” Jack began awkwardly, dropping the bags where he stood. “Fargo brought him over from an alternate universe, and he’s going to be staying here for a while.”

 

“The guest room is ready.”

 

Nathan blinked at the exchange as Jack dropped the bags in the living room. “Stark—Na—”

 

Jack stopped, clearly trying to regain some of his equilibrium. “You can call me Nathan, if you’d prefer,” he offered. “No one has ever called me ‘Nate.’ I have a feeling it’s going to take some getting used to.”

 

“Then why did you tell Allison she could call you that?” Jack asked, frowning.

 

Nathan shrugged. “It seemed easier, and I know what it’s like to lose someone you love.”

 

He left that thought hanging, knowing that Jack could fill in the blanks on his own.

 

“Right. Nathan.” He could see Jack take a deep breath. “Sorry. This is SARAH, a Self Actuated…”

 

Even as Jack trailed off, the voice filled in the blanks. “I am a Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat, SARAH for short.”

 

“You have a smart house,” Nathan said, delighted. “Who did the design?”

 

“Fargo,” Jack replied. “It’s interesting. My sister insisted that it’s weird to live inside a house that talks to you.”

 

Nathan shrugged. “I find it fascinating.”

 

“You would.” Jack’s grin took the sting out of his words, and he picked up the bags again. “Come on, I’ll show you where the guest room is.”

 

“Thanks.” Nathan followed Jack up the stairs and to a relatively neutral room.

 

“I know it’s not fancy, but my sister didn’t have too many complaints while she was staying with us.” Jack dropped the bags on the bed. “The bathroom is just out the door and to the right, if you want to get cleaned up. I’ll call for pizza.”

 

“Thank you.” Nathan cleared his throat. “Jack—” He stopped. “Sorry, is it okay if I call you that?”

 

“Yeah.” Jack’s expression was hesitant. “The other Stark never did, not until the end.”

 

“You don’t mind?” Nathan pressed.

 

Jack shook his head, swallowing. “No, I don’t mind. You should be able to find some clean clothes in those bags. There are toiletries and towels in the bathroom. Feel free to use whatever you find in there.”

 

Nathan nodded. “Thank you—for letting me stay here.”

 

Jack shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

 

“Still, I appreciate it.”

 

“Get cleaned up.”

 

Nathan stood in the bedroom alone, feeling rather lost. With a deep breath, Nathan began digging through the bags, trying to find something to wear. The suits, dress shirts, and ties in the first bag made him grimace; he tended to avoid suits as much as he could.

 

The second bag, however, held more casual clothing—jeans, chinos and t-shirts for the most part. “SARAH?” he ventured.

 

“Yes, Dr. Stark?”

 

“I don’t suppose there’s any way you could mend my jacket?”

 

“Of course. I would be happy to assist in any way I can.”

 

The smile that broke out over his face was genuine; Nathan honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this intrigued, or felt this safe. “Thank you.”

 

“Anything I can do, Dr. Stark, please let me know.”

 

Nathan shook his head, impressed. He’d done plenty of work on artificial intelligence, but almost all of his research had been utilized for offensive means. SARAH, on the other hand, was much like something he would have chosen to create if he’d had control of his projects.

 

Nathan took a deep breath and let it out again, allowing himself to relax for the first time in ages.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack’s first call was to Jo, to let her know that he was off duty for the rest of the night; they were both lucky that she was the one on call.

 

“Is it true?” she asked immediately.

 

“Is what true?”

 

“About Stark being back?” Jo pressed impatiently.

 

Jack sighed. He shouldn’t be surprised at how quickly gossip spread in Eureka, but word had seemed to spread even faster than usual in this case. “How did you find out?”

 

“I heard Fargo telling Vincent about it at Café Diem,” Jo said. “Fargo said he kissed you.”

 

Jack bit back a groan; he’d been hoping Fargo hadn’t seen that. “Fargo brought over a Stark from an alternate dimension, yeah.”

 

“Fargo said that he hadn’t even heard of Eureka. How different is he?”

 

“He’s different,” Jack hedged. “Look, I have to go. I need to call for pizza.”

 

“Wait, is he staying with you?” Jo asked, seeming to catch onto what Jack was determinedly not saying.

 

Jack grinned, enjoying the opportunity to mess with her. “Good night, Jo.”

 

He hung up and then ordered pizza, glancing up at the ceiling. He could just hear the sound of the shower running, and he frowned, wondering how many rumors were going to start flying around town.

 

Unbuttoning his uniform shirt, Jack pulled it off and draped it over the back of the couch, startled when he heard the door open. “Hey, Dad,” Zoe said as she walked in.

 

“I thought you were staying at Pilar’s tonight.” Jack had thought he’d have more time to decide how to explain to his daughter why an alternate Stark was staying with them.

 

Zoe gave him an irritated look. “Gee, Dad. Nice to see you too.”

 

“Sorry.” Jack ran a hand through his hair. “I’m just surprised you’re back tonight.”

 

“Pleasantly surprised, I hope,” Zoe replied.

 

“Sure. Of course!” Jack said, trying to summon up his enthusiasm, and thinking fast.

 

Zoe frowned. “Okay, what’s going on?” She appeared to hear the water running in the shower. “Do you have someone here?”

 

“Uh…” Jack hesitated. “Yes?”

 

“Wait. Are you on a _date_?”

 

“No!” Jack struggled to come up with a coherent explanation. “It’s just—there was an accident at GD today, one of Fargo’s experiments with an alternate universe?” The statement came out as more of a question than Jack had intended.

 

Zoe stared at him. “Okay. Why is there someone in our bathroom?”

 

“Fargo has proven at least an aspect of string theory, Zoe,” SARAH announced helpfully. “An alternate Dr. Stark is currently upstairs.”

 

“Seriously?” Zoe demanded. “Dr. Stark is staying with us? Why isn’t he with Dr. Blake?”

 

Jack sighed. “You should probably sit down.” He perched on the edge of the couch and waited for Zoe to join him. “Zoe, he’s different. He didn’t know Allison, or Fargo, and I don’t think that there was a Eureka in his universe.”

 

Zoe grimace. “God. Poor Dr. Blake.”

 

“Yeah. Allison asked me to kind of—”

 

“Babysit?”

 

“Well, something like that,” Jack admitted.

 

Zoe shook her head. “But why isn’t he staying at the bed and breakfast? If he didn’t know Dr. Blake or…” Her eyes widened. “He knew _you_.”

 

Jack nodded silently, wondering how far he should take the explanation.

 

“Did he—” Zoe’s eyes went wide as Jack felt his face heat up. “Oh, my God.”

 

“Zoe, please don’t—he’s a guest.”

 

Zoe seemed to weigh Jack’s words carefully; he knew that she hadn’t much liked the old Stark for any number of reasons—starting with the fact that Jack liked Allison, and ending with the fact that Stark had made his life miserable on a number of occasions. “I’ll be nice,” she finally said. “And I’ll reserve judgment and form my own opinion.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Zoe leaned back into the couch cushions. “So, he made a move on you?”

 

Jack sighed. “I might as well tell you, since it’s already going around Café Diem, thanks to Fargo. He kissed me.”

 

“And?”

 

“And what?” Jack asked irritably. “It happened.”

 

Zoe shrugged. “Okay. Have you guys eaten yet?”

 

“I ordered pizza.”

 

She grinned. “Great. Isn’t there a ballgame on tonight?”

 

Jack chuckled. “Yeah, there is. Red Sox against Orioles. Take your books upstairs.”

 

He listened to her feet thunder on the stairs, grateful that they had at least made it through that conversation without Nathan walking into the middle of it. He heard the stairs creaking a moment later, and looked up to see the other man making his way downstairs cautiously.

 

“Is it safe to come out?” Nathan asked with a wry smile.

 

Jack grinned. “Yeah, I talked to her. She won’t bite.”

 

Nathan approached the couch cautiously, now dressed in dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt, his damp hair laying in curls against his forehead. “I take it she didn’t like me much.”

 

Jack shrugged. “_You_ didn’t like _me_ much.”

 

“And she’s protective of you,” Nathan said, settling next to Jack on the couch carefully.

 

“She’s my only kid.” Jack studied Nathan silently, the curve of his eyelashes against his cheek, the long, lean lines of his body. His shoulders were slumped, and dark circles shadowed his eyes. “So, you want to tell me how you got shot?”

 

Nathan glanced up, surprise crossing his features. “How did you know?”

 

“I talked to the doctor,” Jack admitted. “And I’ve been shot before. I know what a bullet hole in a jacket looks like.”

 

Nathan sighed. “Someone was shooting at me. I think that’s generally how it works.”

 

Jack rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I got that, but why would someone be shooting at you? Does it have something to do with how you know me?”

 

“It’s a long story,” Nathan hedged.

 

Jack raised his eyebrows. “Better over beer?”

 

“Definitely.”

 

“SARAH? Beer us, would you?”

 

Jack rose and grabbed the beers, then came back and handed one to Nathan. “You want something to eat?”

 

“I can wait,” Nathan replied, taking a long, slow sip of beer. “This is good stuff.”

 

“Vincent’s special brew,” Jack explained. “Vincent is the local miracle worker with food and drink of all sorts. I can give you the tour of the town tomorrow.”

 

Nathan held the beer glass between his hands. “I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing here.”

 

“Fargo screwed up.” Jack smiled, knowing that he probably wouldn’t understand. “Look, this is Eureka. If you’re half as smart as the other Stark, you can stay here as long as you want. Allison will work it out.”

 

Nathan shook his head, and Jack leaned in close, trying to catch his eye. “Whenever you want to talk, whatever you want to tell me. Take your time.”

 

Nathan glanced up, green eyes intense. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

 

Jack shrugged. “You saved the whole universe, Nate. I think I can be sensitive under the circumstances.”

 

“I wasn’t the one who did it,” Nathan objected. “You don’t know that I’d do the same thing under the circumstances.”

 

“And if you had to choose between me or you?” Jack asked shrewdly, already knowing the answer to the question.

 

Nathan was saved from answering by SARAH announcing the arrival of the pizza delivery person, and Jack rose to pay, curious about what he had been like, and what his life had looked like in that alternate universe, and how the hell he’d wound up with someone like Nathan Stark.

 

Then again, after spending just a short time with this version, Jack could begin to see why he might have fallen for the guy in another world.

 

~~~~~

 

Zoe had been thirteen when she’d received a crash course on flexible sexuality. Her best friend, Cory, had informed her that he had a crush on Adam, one of the most popular boys in school. Since Zoe had thought that Cory had a crush on _her_, she’d been surprised and a little put out.

 

“I thought you liked girls!” she’d exclaimed.

 

Cory had flushed a deep red and looked away, and Zoe realized that she hadn’t been very sensitive, and that he’d probably taken it the wrong way. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she’d added quickly, trying to make up for it. “Honest. I was just…surprised.”

 

“No, it’s okay. You didn’t know.” Cory seemed to relax a bit as he explained, “I like girls—but I like guys, too.”

 

So, the idea that some other Dr. Stark had been involved with some other version of her dad wasn’t _quite_ as surprising as it might have been. Not that she was completely okay with the idea of Dr. Stark macking on her dad, but she was willing to keep an open mind.

 

Besides, just because Dr. Stark hit on her dad didn’t mean he’d get anywhere. Her dad hadn’t seemed all that interested.

 

When her dad yelled up the stairs to let her know that the pizza had arrived, she snuck down quietly, wanting to assess the situation before stepping into the middle of it.

 

Dr. Stark was sitting on the sofa, shoulders slumped, his longish hair curling around the nape of his neck. Even from this angle, unable to see much, Zoe could catalog the differences for herself.

 

She crept downstairs, freezing when he looked up and craned his neck. For a moment, Zoe could see the alarm in Dr. Stark’s eyes, and that alone told her that he wasn’t the same.

 

He rose slowly. “You must be Zoe.”

 

“You must be Dr. Stark, version 2.0,” Zoe replied. She wanted to see how he’d respond, whether he had a sense of humor, or if he’d be annoyed.

 

Proving that he did have a sense of humor, he flashed her a quick grin. “Call me Nate.”

 

Zoe thought she might like him already, but she wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily. “You going to stick around for a while?”

 

His smile turned a little wistful, a little sad, and he looked away. “I’d like to.”

 

And at just that moment, Zoe couldn’t say that she’d mind if he did; at just that moment, Zoe thought she’d be able to make her own judgments about the new Dr. Stark, even if she hadn’t liked the old one much.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 

_Nathan stood in a windowless room, beginning to feel just a touch claustrophobic. They had told him that the U.S. Marshal assigned to protect him was good, that he would make sure Nathan survived to testify._

_He’d noticed that they hadn’t promised he’d have any freedom of movement, or that he wouldn’t get shot again._

_The door swung open, and he turned, off-balance on his good leg, his heart beating too fast. The quick, reassuring grin from the man who entered put him immediately at ease, and he waved Nathan to a seat at the small table. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”_

_Nathan was caught by bright blue eyes and a strong handshake. When the other man’s jacket swung open, Nathan could see the gun in its shoulder holster, and the badge that hung on his hip. “It’s fine. Nathan Stark.”_

_“Jack Carter.” Again, there was that affable grin. “Don’t worry, Dr. Stark. You’re in good hands.”_

 

Nathan woke abruptly, his face smashed into his pillow. The memory of the first meeting with Jack—_his_ Jack—was so real he could smell the sweat and fear that seemed permanently ingrained into those interrogation rooms, Jack’s woodsy cologne, and the stale coffee that had eventually been brought in.

 

Their first meeting had been almost electric; for the first time in weeks, Nathan had felt safe. Jack had put him at ease with his easy charm and competency.

 

Nathan wasn’t often out of his depth; he’d found that his brains would get him out of nearly any tight spot—even when that’s what had gotten him into it in the first place.

 

But going up against Sullivan, who had the money and resources to make sure he died long before testifying, Nathan had known there was nothing he could do. The situation had been out of his control, and Jack had been responsible for making sure he survived.

 

And even though there weren’t many people that Nathan had trusted, Jack had been different. He’d trusted Jack immediately.

 

Later, after they’d become friends, Nathan realized that he’d fallen in love.

 

Nathan rose, hissing impatiently at his sore muscles. His arm and back were throbbing sullenly, and he shook out a couple of the pain pills the doctor had prescribed. He swallowed them dry, then dressed, knowing that he wasn’t going to get back to sleep, at least until the medication had kicked in.

 

“Are you all right, Dr. Stark?” SARAH’s soft voice was both disturbing and comforting in equal measure, and Nathan laughed at his own startle response.

 

“Fine, SARAH. Just a little sore.”

 

“Do you need anything?”

 

“Not unless you have any recent science journals I could read.”

 

“I can pull up the full text on the screen downstairs.”

 

If Nathan wasn’t mistaken, SARAH sounded smug at her ability to fulfill his request, and he smiled, making a mental note to talk to Fargo. He really wanted to compare notes on AI development. “Perfect.”

 

The clock read just after 4 am, and Nathan sighed, knowing that waking up so early would make the day that much longer. But SARAH had access to almost every scientific journal Nathan could name off the top of his head, and he asked her to display the table of contents for the journal in which he’d most recently published.

 

His article wasn’t in there, of course, but Nathan was relieved to see that the scientific developments weren’t terribly far ahead of those in his own universe. In fact, he recognized one of the abstracts right away as something he’d been working on recently—just in a more advanced way.

 

Nathan had no idea how long he’d been reading, but the pain medication eventually knocked him out. The next thing he knew, Jack was shaking him awake.

 

“Hey.” Jack’s blue eyes were filled with concern. “You want to go back to bed?”

 

“No, I’m okay,” he replied hoarsely, pushing himself up slowly. “I woke up and didn’t think I’d get back to sleep. I’ve been reading.”

 

Jack didn’t appear convinced, and he remained crouched there for a moment longer before nodding and rising to his feet. “Coffee?”

 

“Please.” Nathan rose and followed Jack into the kitchen, gratefully accepting the mug of hot coffee offered a moment later.

 

“You want to take a tour of the town today?” Jack asked. “You’re welcome to stay here today if you want, but I thought you might want to check things out.”

 

“I don’t want to interrupt your work,” Nathan protested.

 

Jack shook his head. “No, it’s all right. We’ll grab breakfast at Café Diem, and I’ll call Henry. Assuming you don’t already know him, you two should probably meet.”

 

Nathan shook his head silently.

 

“Yeah, just checking.”

 

Zoe entered the kitchen a moment later, giving both men a bright smile. “Hey, Dad. Nate.”

 

She’d taken to calling him Nate immediately, explaining that it suited him. “The other Stark was totally _not_ a Nate,” she’d said.

 

“And I am?”

 

Zoe had just shrugged and grinned, and Nathan had realized exactly how she managed to wrap her father around her finger in any universe.

 

“Good morning,” he offered, not knowing how she felt about his presence, and wanting her to like him.

 

“What are you guys going to do today?” Zoe asked, reaching for the coffee, only to have her hand batted away by her father. “Dad!”

 

“You’ll thank me someday,” Jack told her. “And we’re going to Café Diem for breakfast. You’re working today, right?”

 

Zoe nodded. “That’s why I’m awake so early on a Sunday.” She gave Jack a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later. Good luck today, Nate.”

 

“That sounded a little sarcastic,” he called after her.

 

She grinned at him over her shoulder. “Trust me, you’re going to need all the luck you can get.”

 

Nathan’s eyes widened. “Why?”

 

“You’ll see,” Zoe called out cheerfully.

 

Nathan turned to Jack for reassurance, but the grimace on Jack’s face indicated that Zoe might not have been teasing him. “Jack?”

 

“Gossip spreads quickly,” Jack hedged. “And the other Stark was well known.”

 

Nathan rubbed his eyes wearily. “So, you’re telling me I’m walking into the lion’s den.”

 

“They won’t eat you.”

 

“That’s not terribly reassuring,” Nathan replied.

 

Jack rubbed the back of his head. “You’ll have a lot of people staring at you, but they’ll probably ask Fargo questions about the science. He’s more approachable. Or, you know, he was.”

 

Nathan wondered if he even wanted to leave the bunker. “Maybe I should stay here.”

 

“You can’t hole up in here forever, Nate,” Jack said softly.

 

Nathan grinned ruefully. “You’d be surprised at how long I can hole up.”

 

“You’ll have me with you,” Jack said. “I promise. You’ll be fine.”

 

Nathan met Jack’s eyes and nodded. “I believe you.”

 

Jack hadn’t lied to him yet.

 

~~~~~

 

As the person in charge of Café Diem, Vincent operated a bit like a switchboard. Not all gossip went through him first, but a lot of it did, and so he was often the one to decide whether the information got passed along.

 

Vincent had been present when Fargo had shown up in the café the day before, announcing to everyone in earshot that Dr. Stark was back and that he’d kissed Sheriff Carter. The announcement had had its desired effect: Fargo was immediately the center of attention as he told the story of how he’d brought Nathan Stark over from an alternate universe, saving Stark from bloodthirsty gunmen, painting himself as the hero of the piece.

 

Vincent hadn’t known how much of Fargo’s story to believe until Zoe arrived for the breakfast shift the next morning. “Did your dad say anything about what happened yesterday?” Vincent demanded in a whisper as she tied her apron around her waist.

 

“Couldn’t wait to ask, could you?” Zoe asked with a grin.

 

Vincent grinned back. “That kind of news is just too crazy to be true, except that this is Eureka.”

 

“It’s true all right.” Zoe hesitated for a moment before she added, “He stayed at our place last night.”

 

“Your place?” Vincent’s interest was piqued. He might have a doctorate in molecular gastronomy, but information dissemination was his true calling. “And your dad was okay with all of this?”

 

“Dad seems to like him.” Zoe shrugged. “And he seemed pretty okay to me, too. Different, though. They’re coming here for breakfast this morning, if you want to get a look at him.”

 

Vincent’s mind began racing. “Is he different enough so that I should wait to take his breakfast order?”

 

“Go crazy,” Zoe replied. “See what he does.”

 

Vincent raised an eyebrow. “Are you testing him, Zoe?”

 

She shrugged. “Maybe. Nothing wrong with curiosity.”

 

Vincent snorted and headed back to the kitchen. Judging from Zoe’s tone, there might be more to Fargo’s story than he’d thought.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack could feel Nathan’s discomfort as they walked into Café Diem and nearly every eye in the place turned to them. He was grateful when Zoe appeared in front of them, as though summoned.

 

“I saved a table for you guys,” she said with a smile, leading them to a small table in an out-of-the-way corner. “And I told Vincent you were coming, so he’s working on the food.”

 

Nathan’s eyebrows went up. “Aren’t there menus?”

 

“Nope,” Zoe replied with a mischievous grin. “I’ll get your coffee.”

 

Nathan turned an inquiring look on Jack, who shrugged. “Vincent can make anything you want. Knowing Zoe, she probably told him to go crazy on your breakfast.”

 

“Why?” Nathan asked, mystified.

 

“Because I get the same thing every time, and Vincent thinks that I have the ‘palate of a Neanderthal.’ That’s a direct quote, by the way.”

 

Nathan huffed out a laugh. “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it?”

 

“Exactly!” Jack grinned. “But I wouldn’t tell Vince that. He still likes _you_.”

 

Nathan raised his eyebrows. “Is there anyone who doesn’t like you, Jack?”

 

The warmth in Nathan’s gaze caused Jack’s face to go hot; Stark didn’t aim that sort of expression at him—maybe Allison or Kevin, but not him. At least, not until the very end.

 

Jack was saved from having to respond by Vincent’s arrival at their table.

 

“Your usual, Sheriff,” Vincent announced, setting the plate on the table in front of him. “And for Dr. Stark, a fresh herb and vegetable frittata with sun-dried tomatoes.” Vincent leaned in close to the table, lowering his voice. “It’s a pleasure to have you back, Dr. Stark. Or, well, not back, but…”

 

“Thank you, Vincent.” Jack’s tone and expression had Vincent smiling nervously and scurrying off.

 

Nathan snorted. “You don’t have to protect me, you know.”

 

Jack didn’t believe him; he’d seen how Nathan had tensed up when Vincent approached the table, and how the tension had drained out of him as soon as they were alone again. “You’re uncomfortable around strangers.”

 

Nathan said nothing, focusing on his breakfast. Jack saw pure pleasure wash across his face as he took his first bite. “You like that stuff?”

 

With a smirk, Nathan gestured to Jack’s scrambled eggs, pancakes and sausage. “I could ask you the same.”

 

“Oh, come on. You can’t beat an old standard.”

 

“You can with this.” Seeing Jack’s grimace, Nathan nudged his plate closer to Jack. “Just try a bite,” he coaxed.

 

Jack was struck by the intimacy of the situation; he didn’t usually eat off of someone else’s plate unless he was on a date.

 

“What’s the matter, Jack?” Nathan asked, a mocking light in his eyes. “You’re not afraid, are you?”

 

“Of food?” Jack scoffed. “Never.”

 

The bite he took from Nathan’s plate was tasty, but Jack wasn’t ready admit more than that. “It’s okay.”

 

“Okay?” Nathan asked, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. “Just okay?”

 

Jack shrugged. “Well, it’s not what I’ve got here.”

 

“What you’ve got is a traditional breakfast that anyone could make. What I have is a masterpiece.”

 

Vincent suddenly appeared to refill their coffee cups. “Thank you, Dr. Stark. It’s nice to know that _someone_ appreciates genius.”

 

“I appreciate your genius at making normal food,” Jack protested.

 

Vincent gave him a dirty look, then beamed at Nathan. “Let me know if you need anything else, Dr. Stark.”

 

Jack rolled his eyes as soon as Vincent was gone. “Seriously? That gets you bonus points?”

 

“I have good taste.” Nathan grinned.

 

Jack snorted. “Yeah, whatever.”

 

Nathan took another bite, wearing a familiar smug smirk. “So, tell me more about this car crash. I never pictured the Jack Carter I knew as a small town sheriff.”

 

Stark—the _other_ Stark—would have made that statement with a heavy dose of derision, but Nathan’s neutral tone suggested that he was merely interested. Jack figured that it was a good question, given that Nathan had apparently known him only in his capacity as a marshal.

 

Slowly, Jack began describing how he’d landed in Eureka with Zoe in tow. “Zoe? A runaway?” Nathan broke in.

 

“A delinquent,” Jack corrected him. “We’ve come a long way.”

 

Nathan motioned for him to continue, and Jack told the entire story for the first time. Because Eureka was classified, Jack hadn’t been able to tell anyone outside the town, and those in Eureka had either been there, or had heard about it second-hand. Even though Jack kept expecting Nathan to make snide comments about his intelligence, or how he’d chosen to handle the situation, there was none of that. Instead, Nathan listened the way a friend would—with sympathy and the occasional chuckle at Jack’s self-deprecating humor.

 

“I didn’t have much choice about transferring, but it turned out to be one of the best things that’s happened to me,” Jack finished.

 

Nathan smiled. “You’re happy here.”

 

There was a touch of wistfulness in his voice, and Jack suspected it had something to do with his counterpart. “It’s a good town, and it’s been good for Zoe.”

 

He was tempted to add that Eureka might be good for Nathan, too, but he thought that might be overstepping his bounds. Still, Nathan had relaxed quite a bit since they’d first arrived at Café Diem, and he seemed more at ease.

 

“I’m glad to see that,” Nathan replied, his tone soft and sincere.

 

Jack was spared from having to respond to him by the squawk of his radio. “Carter here. What’s up, Jo?” He paused for a few seconds, rolling his eyes. “Over.”

 

“We need you over at Seth’s, Sheriff. Over.”

 

Holding back a groan, Jack asked, “Do I have time to stop by Henry’s? Over.”

 

“Henry’s already on his way. Over.”

 

Jack grimaced, knowing that Jo couldn’t see his expression. “I’m headed there now. Over and out.” With a sense of regret, he rose from the table. “Nathan, do you mind coming with me?”

 

“I don’t want to be in the way.” Nathan rose, forehead furrowed with concern. “I can take care of myself, Jack. You don’t have to worry about me.”

 

Jack snorted. “In this town? I worry about everybody. Come on, I wanted you to meet Henry, anyway, and I’d like to have you there. You might be able to help.”

 

Nathan appeared uncertain, but he followed Jack without further argument. Jack waved to Zoe on his way out. “See you tonight?” he called.

 

“I’ll be there. SARAH’s making dinner, so if you’re going to be late, you’d better call if you don’t want to get locked out.” Zoe waved at Nathan. “Have fun!”

 

“Why do I get the feeling that she doesn’t like me?” Nathan asked once he’d climbed into the Jeep.

 

Jack shrugged. “She likes you. If she didn’t, she’d be a lot more obvious about it.”

 

“How bad is this going to be?”

 

Glancing over at his passenger, Jack saw Nathan swallowing nervously and realized that asking the guy who’d just been shot to ride along might not have been the best idea. “Since it’s Seth, it has to do with plants,” Jack replied conversationally. “And since Henry’s there, he’ll cover the scientific end of things. Jo’s my deputy, which means I’ve got backup. If it makes you more comfortable, you can always stay in the car.”

 

Nathan shrugged, then immediately winced, apparently having pulled the stitches in his shoulder. “I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about _you_.”

 

Well, that was new. Jack realized that it was going to take him a while to get used to the idea that Nathan liked him. Jack kept expecting him to respond like Stark.

 

Jack hesitated. “Nathan—”

 

“Don’t say it. Don’t make promises you can’t keep, and don’t tell me that you don’t feel the same way.” The raw honesty in Nathan’s voice made Jack wince. “When I lost you—or the other you—I lost my best friend. After this morning, it was almost like getting him back.”

 

Jack had never been good with emotions—talking about them _or_ dealing with them. He suspected that Nathan was generally the same way, but getting pulled into a parallel universe would do a number on anyone’s head.

 

“I used to wonder if Stark and I could have been friends without Allison in the middle.” Jack glanced over to see Nathan staring resolutely out the side window. “If something goes wrong here, it’s almost always weird science, which is more your thing than mine. Since you aren’t trying to blow things up anymore, we’re already ahead.”

 

Nathan met his eyes briefly before he turned away again. “I’m not saying something won’t happen to me, because that would be a lie.”

 

“Then what are you saying?” Nathan asked hoarsely.

 

Jack shrugged. “That it could be you just as easily as me, and I don’t want to watch you die again either.” Jack felt the dull pang of guilt as he remembered Stark’s farewell. For months now, Jack had known that he should have been the one to step into the particle accelerator. He was the sheriff, and he’d been the one stuck in the time loop. It had been his job.

 

Jack thought he might always feel that small guilt whenever he saw Allison, knowing that he had survived, and the man she loved hadn’t.

 

“What about you and Allison?” Nathan asked, in a strange echo of Jack’s thoughts.

 

Jack shook his head. “The timing was never right. We’re friends, but that’s pretty much it.”

 

Nathan nodded, but didn’t say anything more, leaving Jack to wonder if friendship between them was possible now, given how strong Nathan’s feelings were.

 

Jack was a little surprised to find how much he wanted that friendship.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 

Nathan hadn’t meant to say anything at all—about what Jack had been to him, about his fear of losing Jack again, about what the morning together had meant. At first, Nathan had believed that the very real differences between his universe and this one would make it easier to keep his feelings to himself, and to move on.

 

But in fact, Jack wasn’t that different; he was obviously more content, but that was about it. From Jack’s obvious concern upon finding Nathan on the couch, to their banter over breakfast that morning, Nathan could almost believe he’d never lost Jack in the first place.

 

Even though he knew that was just a hopeful lie.

 

Jack pulled to a stop at the edge of a field full of unfamiliar plants. “You can stay here if you want.”

 

Nathan refused to meet Jack’s eyes, not knowing what he’d see there. “I’d rather go with you.”

 

“Okay.” Nathan reached for the door handle, but Jack’s voice stopped him. “Nate, I—I want to make this work.”

 

Nathan gritted his teeth. “I understand.”

 

“No, I don’t think you do.” Jack’s hand closed over his arm. “Come on. Look at me.”

 

He looked and saw compassion and a faint trace of confusion in Jack’s eyes. “It’s going to take some time for both of us to figure out that we aren’t looking at the same guy we used to know.”

 

“Yeah.” Nathan glanced down, unable to face Jack’s steady gaze, and he felt Jack squeeze his arm before releasing him.

 

Nathan hung back as they approached a small knot of people in front of what looked like a large shed. Jack moved with that same easy, loose-limbed walk that he remembered, and Nathan took a moment to appreciate the way Jack filled out his uniform.

 

“Hey, Jo.”

 

The trim, dark-haired woman in the deputy’s uniform turned to greet Jack. “Carter. We have a problem.”

 

“Seth’s plants went after Sparky,” Fargo burst out, a small dog straining at the leash he was clutching. The animal’s frenzied barking nearly drowned out his words. “If I hadn’t been there, it would have eaten him. It was self-defense!”

 

Nathan’s eyebrows went up, and he moved closer, intrigued.

 

“My plants wouldn’t eat that mangy dog!” A large man in waders and long rubber gloves took a threatening step towards Fargo. “He ruined one of my rare bromeliads!”

 

“Okay, that’s enough!” Jack shouted, stepping between Seth and Fargo. “Jo, take Fargo down to the station and get his statement.”

 

“I’m not taking that thing in my vehicle,” Jo protested, looking at the dog with distaste.

 

Jack rolled his eyes. “Fine. Fargo, take Sparky home, and meet Deputy Lupo at the station. And Jo, please tell me you didn’t call me out here just for this.”

 

“No, Sheriff, I asked for you,” Seth replied. “Fargo is sabotaging my plants again. The noise he’s been making—”

 

“It’s music! Real music!” Fargo protested, cutting Seth off. “I didn’t—”

 

“Enough!” Jack’s shout cut through the noise. “Fargo, so help me—”

 

Fargo gave a little sound of alarm and hurried off. Jack turned to Jo. “Jo, is there a reason you called me and Henry here?”

 

“Sheriff—” Seth began, attempting to interrupt, but Jack cut him off with a raised hand and a pointed frown.

 

“We do have a problem, Carter,” Jo replied. “We have reports of experiments all over town being disrupted, including Seth’s. I don’t think it has to do with Fargo’s taste in music, though.”

 

Jack scratched his head. “Okay, fine. I’ll take it from here.”

 

Jo patted him on the shoulder. “Have fun.” She turned to Nathan, as though just noticing him, although he suspected that she had been keeping an eye on him the entire time. “Dr. Stark. Deputy Jo Lupo.”

 

Nathan shook her hand. “Please, just Nate. It’s easier.”

 

Her eyebrows went up in surprise, but her smile indicated that he’d hit the right note. “All right. See you around, Nate.”

 

The battered tow truck pulled up just as Deputy Lupo drove off, and a dark-skinned man in grease-stained coveralls and a newsboy’s cap climbed out. “Sorry it took me so long, Jack,” he called, his approach faltering slightly as he caught sight of Nathan. “I needed to finish up a test before I could leave.”

 

“Sheriff—” Seth began again, and once again, Jack cut him off with a raised hand.

 

“Just hang on a minute, Seth,” Jack said, his tone coaxing now. “Let me catch Henry up, then we’ll take a look at the plant Fargo damaged.”

 

Seth stalked off towards his plants, picking up a sprayer along the way, leaving Jack and Nathan to greet Henry.

 

Henry shook his head as he approached, his eyes on Nathan. “I’d heard the rumors, but it was hard to believe.”

 

“Nathan, this is Dr. Henry Deacon, our mayor.”

 

Jack’s quiet introduction had Henry chuckling self-consciously. “Sorry. It’s just—quite remarkable.”

 

“I understand,” Nathan replied. “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Deacon.”

 

“Henry, please,” he said firmly. “Now, Jack, what have we got here?”

 

Jack gave a quick run-down of the situation to Henry as they made their way into the field of plants, Nathan following a few steps behind. He wondered what the other Stark’s relationship with Henry had been. Judging from the way Henry kept glancing over his shoulder, Nathan figured that they’d known each other fairly well.

 

“It’s not that kind of plant,” Seth explained indignantly in response to a question from Jack. “These bromeliads were bred to be resistant to pests and various diseases, but they don’t _eat_ them.”

 

Nathan moved a little closer, eyeing the plant carefully. It didn’t appear particularly dangerous.

 

“Aren’t these your new, cold-resistant pineapple plants?” Henry asked.

 

Seth nodded eagerly. “By using gene splicing techniques, I’m hoping to create crops that will grow outside their optimal environments, and be resistant to pests and typical plant diseases. So far, they’ll grow, but they won’t bear fruit.”

 

“Okay,” Jack said slowly. “Then why did Fargo think that the plant was trying to eat Sparky?”

 

“I don’t know!” Seth gestured wildly with his sprayer. “That imbecile is a menace, Sheriff. He’s been playing his music deliberately within range of my maize.”

 

Jack held up a hand. “I’ll talk to him, Seth. Just—don’t do anything I’m going to have to lock you up for, okay?”

 

Seth stalked off, muttering under his breath, and Jack turned to Henry. “Jo said something about experiments being interrupted all over town. Do you know anything about that?”

 

Henry shook his head. “No, but I’ll look into it. Do you want me to take a sample of the plant?”

 

“Yeah,” Jack said reluctantly. “Not that I think the plant tried to eat Sparky, but stranger things have happened. I’d rather find out about it now than have people start disappearing later.”

 

Henry smiled. “I doubt it would come to that, Jack.”

 

“You never know,” Jack replied darkly. “And, uh, I should head up to Global next. I need to talk with Allison about some of this stuff.”

 

“Nathan, would you mind giving me a hand?” Henry asked.

 

Nathan had no idea how Jack had managed to communicate the need to have Henry take him off of Jack’s hands. He’d been with Jack the entire time, and at no point had he seen Jack send a message to that effect. Still, he had no reason to deny the request, and he had no desire to see Allison again so soon. Their initial meeting had been awkward enough.

 

“No, not at all.” Nathan forced a smile. “I’d be happy to help.”

 

Jack clasped his uninjured shoulder. “I’ll see you for dinner tonight. SARAH hates it when people are late, by the way.”

 

Nathan’s smile became a little more genuine. “What time?”

 

“Six,” Jack responded, giving Nathan’s shoulder a final pat before he headed towards the Jeep.

 

Nathan felt both bereft and oddly warmed at the same time. Bereft, because he’d wanted to lean in and kiss Jack goodbye, even though he knew that it wasn’t going to happen. Warmed, because Jack had clearly expected him for dinner, and that was something that had rarely, if ever, happened in the past.

 

“How long were you together?”

 

The soft question startled Nathan enough that he responded without thinking. “Almost a year. Not long enough.”

 

“He was killed?”

 

“He saved my life.” Nathan turned to find Henry staring at him with a thoughtful expression. “Why?”

 

Henry shook his head. “Remind me to tell you about Kim sometime.” He headed towards his truck. “Come on. I’ll give you a tour of the rest of the town on the way back to my lab.”

 

Nathan followed him, hands shoved deep in his pockets. He missed Jack already.

 

~~~~~

 

Jo hadn’t been particularly happy with the division of labor; she would have preferred to deal with Seth and Henry. But Carter was the boss, and Jo always enjoyed tormenting Fargo.

 

“I’m telling you, Jo. Those plants are dangerous.” Fargo leaned forward, peering across the desk and craning his neck to get a look at her notepad. “Are you writing this down?”

 

“It’s the third time you’ve repeated yourself, Fargo,” Jo replied. “I don’t need to write it down.”

 

Fargo stood, clearly trying to read Jo’s notes upside down. “I don’t—”

 

“Sit. Down.” Jo used the voice she reserved for people who were being incredibly stupid, and it worked just as well as it usually did—Fargo sat with an audible thump. “Now, do you have anything else to add to further our investigation?”

 

Fargo shook his head. “No.”

 

He sounded a little sullen, but Jo figured he’d get over it. “Good. I’ve got work to do, Fargo. I’m sure you do, too.”

 

Fargo left the station muttering under his breath about not being appreciated, but Jo ignored him. Fargo always thought that he was underappreciated.

 

The quiet atmosphere of the station allowed Jo to focus on getting some paperwork done. She would have worked right through lunch, but Zane showed up just after noon with takeout from Café Diem.

 

“I told Vince you’d be hungry, and he whipped something up for you,” Zane announced with a grin, throwing himself into the chair Fargo had vacated. “Assuming you’ve got time for me.”

 

“For you? Always,” Jo replied, rising and coming around the desk to give her boyfriend a hello kiss. “Especially when you bring food.”

 

“I aim to please.” Zane began digging into his own boxed lunch. “So, have you heard the news yet?”

 

Jo grinned when she saw Vincent’s special curry chicken salad sandwich on naan bread. “Just what I wanted.”

 

Zane cleared his throat. “Jo?”

 

“What news?” she asked, playing dumb.

 

“About Stark 2.0.” Zane’s expression indicated that he knew what she was doing. “Come on, Jo. This is great stuff.”

 

Jo smiled smugly. “Yeah, I heard. I also met him. He was tagging along with the sheriff earlier.”

 

“He’s hanging out with Sheriff Carter?” Zane asked. “What’s he like?”

 

“Yes, he’s hanging out with Carter, and he told me to call him Nate.” Jo took a large bite out of her sandwich, knowing that it would prevent her from answering any of Zane’s questions immediately, and _that_ was sure to drive him crazy.

 

“Nate,” Zane repeated, his eyebrows going up in a satisfactorily inquisitive manner. “He told you to call him that.”

 

Jo just nodded and took another bite.

 

“Did you hear the other half of the rumor?” Zane asked, that familiar smirk on his face, the one that got Jo’s engine revved.

 

Jo swallowed. “No, I don’t think so.”

 

“Fargo swears that the first thing Stark 2.0 did was to kiss the sheriff.”

 

She waited for the punch line, but Zane’s eyes widened expectantly, and she realized that he meant it. Jo thought about the vibe she’d gotten from the two men. “Huh.”

 

“You get that sense from them?” he asked, eyes alight with the sort of curiosity he usually reserved for scientific developments.

 

“Why would it matter?”

 

“Are you kidding?” Zane asked. “You saw Carter and the other Stark. They flirted constantly.”

 

“Fought constantly, you mean,” Jo muttered, but she grinned as she remembered one particularly heated debate between the two men.

 

Zane wiggled his eyebrows. “Kind of like us.”

 

Jo smirked, her arousal heightened. “A good point.”

 

“Why don’t we—” Zane stopped when his phone rang. “Donovan.” Jo watched as Zane frowned, his expression going dark. “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

 

“What’s wrong?” Jo asked.

 

Zane frowned, concern clear in his eyes. “There’s a problem in one of the off-site consumer products labs. We're getting some strange readings from the new engine we've been working on.”

 

“Go,” Jo ordered. “Before it becomes my problem.”

 

“You got it. See you tonight?” Zane asked with a leer.

 

Jo rolled her eyes. “Go. I’ll call you.”

 

“See you, Jo-Jo.”

 

She shook her head, trying to hide a smile—unsuccessfully. Zane was the only person who could get away with calling her that. It was probably a good thing for him that he was so cute.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack knocked on Allison’s door briefly, sticking his head inside. Allison was on the phone, but she waved him inside and into a seat. He lounged across from her, half-listening as she finished her phone call.

 

“Yes, thank you. I will. You do the same.” Allison hung up, and gave Jack a weary smile. “Hi, Carter. What’s up?”

 

“We have a problem with Seth and Fargo,” Jack replied. “Fargo claims that one of Seth’s plants tried to eat his dog. Jo’s taking Fargo’s statement, and I told Seth not to do anything stupid. According to Jo, we’ve had some reports of experiments being disrupted.”

 

Allison sighed. “Great. You’re looking into it?”

 

“Henry is. He took a sample of the plant, and said that he’d work on the disruptions, too. Between the two of us, we’ll figure it out.”

 

“You always do,” Allison replied, smiling.

 

Jack searched her face for any sign that her interest in him was more than friendly, that there was something there worth pursuing—or worth risking their current relationship for. In truth, while he might have given up hope that they would ever be more than friends and colleagues, any sign from her would have brought him running.

 

There was nothing, however, other than the friendship she’d always offered. Jack suspected that without the promise of something more from Allison, Nathan’s charm might be his undoing.

 

“How is he?” Allison asked, as though reading his mind.

 

Jack shrugged. “Good, as far as I know. It’s definitely an adjustment.”

 

“And you?” she asked. “I know it was too much to ask you to look after him, Jack. You and Nathan were never much more than civil.”

 

“The same isn’t true of this Nathan,” Jack responded. “He’s…he’s different.”

 

“I noticed.” Allison sighed. “He’s in love with you, isn’t he?”

 

Jack rubbed his eyes. “Not with me, but with the Jack Carter he knew.”

 

Allison nodded slowly. “I suspected as much.”

 

Jack slumped back in his chair. “I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s not your fault.” Allison summoned up a smile. “I could see that Nathan—that he wasn’t my Nathan as soon as I saw him.”

 

“Allison—”

 

“It’s okay, Jack.” Her voice, quiet and sincere, stopped his words. “Whatever happens, it’s okay.”

 

Jack nodded. “Understood. Is there anything else you want me to do?”

 

“No.” Allison hesitated for a moment, then added, “Would you pass something along to Nathan—Nate—for me?”

 

“Sure.” Jack frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want to see him?”

 

“I can’t, Carter. He’s not—the way he looks at me isn’t the same. It’s too hard.”

 

“It’s okay, Allison. I understand.”

 

“Just—I’ve contacted the Department of Defense. They want more information on what happened, of course, but Fargo can fill in the blanks on the science. They also want Nate to stay here in Eureka until they decide what to do with him.”

 

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Jack replied. “Anything else?”

 

Allison managed a weak smile. “I’ve managed to get some of Nathan’s accounts released to him, so he has funds.”

 

“Allison—”

 

“They’re his,” Allison insisted. “It’s only fair.”

 

“You and Kevin were named in Stark’s will,” Jack said softly.

 

“And I’m quite capable of taking care of myself _and_ Kevin,” Allison shot back. Jack’s surprise must have shown on his face, because she immediately apologized. “I’m sorry, Carter. That was rude. I just think that Nate should have something, some safety net. He came through the portal with nothing but the clothes on his back.”

 

“I’ll let him know,” Jack promised. “I’m sure he’ll be grateful.”

 

“You should also tell him that he can’t go back.” Allison leaned forward. “I’ve been going over Fargo’s data. I’m not sure we can replicate the experiment, but even if we could—”

 

Jack shook his head. “I don’t think it would be a good idea. Someone was shooting at him right before he showed up here.”

 

Allison nodded. “I agree. I just wanted to let you know.”

 

Something in her expression told Jack that the meeting was over, and he rose to leave. “I’ll keep you updated.”

 

“Thank you, Carter.”

 

Jack headed out, then on a whim, turned in the doorway. “If you were going to disrupt a lot of experiments, what would you use?”

 

Allison shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess it would depend on what experiments were being disrupted.”

 

Jack nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll get a list. Thanks.”

 

“Jack,” she called, stopping him. “He’s staying with you?”

 

Jack nodded. “As long as he needs to, or as long as he wants. Either way.”

 

Allison smiled. “Thank you.”

 

“I told you—whatever you need.” Jack paused for a moment, holding Allison’s gaze. She appeared both resigned and weary, and he wished there was something he could do to ease her mind.

 

Allison smiled, then glanced down, and Jack left, knowing from experience that she wouldn’t let him do more. He headed back to the station, grateful to find it empty. Jack needed a little time to sort out his thoughts.

 

He sat behind his desk, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. After a minute or so, Jack realized that he had no clue how to resolve his feelings for Nathan. This wasn’t the first time he’d been attracted to another man; there had been one guy in college. He and Mark had made out once—they’d both been drunk—but neither of them ever brought that night up again.

 

Well, there had been another marshal, but he’d been straight, and Jack met Abby around the same time, so the point was moot.

 

And Jack had noticed that Nathan Stark was an attractive man in the past. Stark had been handsome under anyone’s definition, but they had both been fixated on Allison—and Stark had made his contempt for Jack so clear—that Jack had never moved past idle attraction.

 

Maybe, if Stark had married Allison, if they’d had a chance to move past their rivalry, they might have attained a civil working relationship. If Allison had never been in the middle, they might have even been friends—or more.

 

And now, Jack was faced with a Nathan Stark who had never been in love with Allison, who looked at him like he was a competent human being, who looked at him with real affection.

 

Jack was faced with a Nathan Stark who had been in love with some version of _him_, who still had an echo of that love in his eyes.

 

And he had no idea what to do with that.

 

The front door of the station opened, and Jo came in, rolling her eyes as soon as she saw Jack. “You deliberately stuck me with Fargo this morning.”

 

“Hey, I needed to see Allison,” Jack replied, defending himself. “What did Fargo have to say?”

 

“Other than insisting that the plant tried to eat his dog?” Jo unholstered her gun and set it on her desk as she plopped down in her chair. “He claims that Seth is a menace to Eureka, and that we should arrest him.”

 

“What’s your take on it?” Jack asked.

 

“I think Fargo was seeing things.” Jo began taking her gun apart to clean it. “And I think he’s Fargo. What about you?”

 

“I don’t know.” Jack swung his chair back and forth. “Do you have a list of people who have reported problems with their experiments?”

 

Jo didn’t look up from her task. “I’ve got it right here.”

 

“Jo?”

 

“Just a second.”

 

“Any time you have a minute.” Jack continued to stare at her, knowing that she would eventually give him what he wanted just to get him off her back.

 

Jo finally put the pieces of her handgun down, stalking over to slap down a piece of paper on Jack’s desk. “Here. The list of people who reported that they were having problems.”

 

“Thank you, Josephina.” She glared at him, but Jack grinned. “Oh, come on.”

 

Jo rolled her eyes. “Do you really think that’s going to tell you anything?”

 

Jack shrugged. “I don’t know. I just have a feeling.”

 

Jo frowned. “A feeling?”

 

“I can’t explain it. I just—it feels like something is coming.” Jack hoped that Jo would understand, and she seemed to.

 

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” Jo replied, heading back to her desk.

 

Jack stared at the list, recognizing a few names but not many. “You know what these people have in common?”

 

“They’re all pissed off right about now?” Jo asked, not looking up from her weapon cleaning.

 

Jack shook his head. “Other than that.”

 

“It’s all random,” Jo replied. “They don’t have anything in common.”

 

Jack frowned. “Yeah, that’s what I was worried about.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 

Much to his surprise, Nathan had a good time with Henry, who made every effort to include him in his research. For the space of an afternoon, Nathan was able to forget everything other than the pursuit of answers.

 

Henry was a brilliant man, who knew a lot about almost everything, and it didn’t take long for them to determine that Seth had been telling the truth. Why Fargo had believed the plant was carnivorous was another story.

 

“Thanks for the ride, Henry,” Nathan said, leaning against the passenger door to look at Henry through the window.

 

“My pleasure, Nathan. I’ll see you tomorrow. Once Jack gets a list of those experiments, we should get a better idea of what might be causing the problems.” Henry smiled. “It was good to have your help today.”

 

Nathan grinned. “Happy to have been of service.”

 

“Nathan!” Henry called as he began to walk away. “Hang in there.”

 

Nathan blinked, surprised that Henry had been able to see his unhappiness, even though he had taken great care not to let it show. “I’m fine.”

 

“Believe it or not, I’ve been in your shoes,” Henry said quietly. “Losing someone is hard enough, but to lose a person twice—let’s just say I understand.”

 

Nathan blinked rapidly, his heart in his throat. “Yeah.” It was all he could manage to say.

 

Henry gave him a sympathetic smile. “Like I said, hang in there.”

 

Nathan lifted a hand in farewell and headed for the bunker, taking a moment just inside the door to slam down the lid on his emotions. He needed to be happy that he was no longer being hunted down, and that Jack was alive. That was more than he’d had three days ago.

 

That was more than enough; that _had_ to be more than enough.

 

“SARAH, door,” Nathan called as he approached, his voice hoarse with emotion.

 

The door swung open, and SARAH’s voice called, “Dr. Stark, it’s good to have you home.”

 

Nathan raised an eyebrow at her assumption that he was home but decided not to quibble. “Thank you, SARAH.”

 

Zoe sat at the table, head resting on her hand. “I’m going to kill him.”

 

Nathan approached her cautiously. “Should you be saying that in front of a potential witness?”

 

Zoe smiled reluctantly. “Probably not, but I guess I’ll just have to trust that you won’t turn me in.”

 

“Depends on who you’re going to kill,” Nathan replied, sitting down next to her.

 

She dropped her pen on the table with obvious annoyance. “It’s my dad, and I’m not really going to kill him. It’s just that he insisted I take accelerated physics, and we’ve got our final next week—and I’m going to fail.”

 

“I doubt that,” Nathan replied, scooting his chair closer. “What are you stuck on?”

 

“The Maxwell-Boltzman distribution and how it ties in to plasma.”

 

Nathan leaned in a little closer to better see her tablet. “Thermodynamics, huh? This is advanced work.”

 

“Tesla is an advanced school, and I’m the local village idiot,” Zoe mumbled, putting her head in her hands. “All I wanted was a life, not a failing grade.”

 

Nathan ignored the melodrama and focused on the problem at hand. “So, would you like to sit here feeling sorry for yourself, or do you want help?”

 

Zoe gave him a deeply suspicious look. “You’d help me?”

 

“Why not?” Nathan shrugged. “I don’t have anything better to do.”

 

She rolled her eyes. “Gee, thanks.”

 

“I could go catch up on my reading,” Nathan said. “If you prefer.”

 

“No, stay and help. You couldn’t make it any worse.”

 

Nathan put his hand over his heart, miming being stabbed. “Ouch.”

 

She grinned. “So, what am I doing wrong?”

 

Nathan spent the next hour patiently explaining principles of thermodynamics, using the same mnemonic devices he’d used back when he was taking accelerated physics.

 

“I thought you were a genius,” Zoe objected when he gave her one of the tricks he’d used. “You had to learn this stuff?”

 

“Everybody has to learn,” Nathan replied. “Being a genius just means you learn faster.” He leaned forward to meet her eyes. “Speaking of, you’re definitely not the village idiot. What’s your IQ? In the 160 range?”

 

Zoe flushed slightly. “Not quite.”

 

Nathan smirked. “I’m close.”

 

“You can’t tell Dad. He doesn’t know.”

 

Now Zoe appeared almost panicked, and he frowned. “If you don’t want me to say anything, I won’t; it’s none of my business. But why?”

 

“I told Dad it was 112,” Zoe said, lowering her voice. “He doesn’t know.”

 

Nathan wasn’t following. “Why?” he pressed.

 

“Because his is 111, and I didn’t want him to feel like the only average person in town.”

 

Nathan snorted. “Unless your father is _very_ different than the Jack Carter I knew, or he hit his head one too many times, his IQ is higher than that.”

 

Zoe raised her eyebrows. “How do you know?”

 

Nathan shrugged. “Jack—” He stopped, the emotion he’d just managed to control threatening to escape again.

 

“You really were in love with him, weren’t you?” Zoe asked wonderingly.

 

“Yeah, I really was.”

 

Zoe was quiet for a moment. “How did you guys meet?”

 

“He was assigned to protect me.” Nathan paused. “You know, I haven’t even talked to your dad about this yet. Maybe I should—”

 

“Oh, no. Please tell us,” SARAH chimed in.

 

Nathan started, having forgotten that the smart house would be listening in. “I’ll tell you over dinner tonight,” he promised.

 

“Come on,” Zoe begged, her wheeling tone and big eyes tempting Nathan to give in. “Dad’s always the last to know anyway.”

 

Nathan laughed. “I’ll bet. That’s not a reason, however.”

 

“Nate!” she protested. “You were his _boyfriend_. I think I deserve to know why you were interested in him.”

 

Nathan ran a finger through the condensation ring on the table. “When I met Jack, I’d already had one person try to kill me. He promised that I would be in good hands, and he was right.”

 

“Was I different?” Zoe asked, and Nathan suspected that this was the question she’d wanted to ask all along.

 

He shook his head. “I don’t know. I never met her—the other you.”

 

Zoe frowned. “How long were you guys dating?”

 

“We were friends for longer,” Nathan replied. “And I was transferred to Washington, D.C. a couple of months after he was assigned to watch me. Jack accepted a temporary transfer, and he would fly to L.A. to see you—her.”

 

“And you never went with him.”

 

“It wasn’t safe. After the transfer, I didn’t leave D.C.”

 

“At all? Ever?”

 

Nathan shrugged. “I had my research, and sometimes, I had your dad. It was enough.”

 

Zoe gave him a dubious look. “It sounds lonely.”

 

It had been, but Nathan wasn’t about to admit that to a teenager. “It was enough.”

 

“And now?”

 

Nathan shrugged. “It will have to be, won’t it?”

 

“You know, if you gave Dad a little time, you could probably convince him to go for you,” Zoe said thoughtfully.

 

Nathan snorted. “He wasn’t interested in the other Nathan Stark. Why would he be interested in me?”

 

“Because you don’t hate his guts?” Zoe suggested. “Or maybe because you don’t think he’s an idiot? I know it probably sounds crazy, but there’s no way Dad would be interested in someone who treated him like a moron all the time.”

 

“And Allison?”

 

Zoe shook her head. “I don’t know. Dad was definitely interested, but ever since Dr. Stark died, he’s been weird about her. I think he feels guilty.”

 

“Why?” Nathan asked, curious.

 

“Because Dad always feels responsible, and Dr. Stark died on his wedding day, and it broke Allison’s heart.” Zoe looked away, staring off into the distance. “I’m glad it wasn’t Dad, though.”

 

“You should be,” Nathan said seriously. “He’s your father, and you need him. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

 

Zoe managed a smile. “Thanks. It’s hard, you know? Dr. Stark was this Nobel Prize winner, and Dad—”

 

“Jack is the best person I’ve ever known.” Nathan managed a smile. “It might sound selfish, but I’m glad that in some universe I was able to save him.”

 

Zoe tilted her head, studying him for a long minute. “Me, too. And I’m glad you’re here.”

 

Nathan touched the sleeve of his jacket, just over the bullet wound, thinking of the near-certain death that had waited for him in that other universe. “Yeah. So am I.”

 

~~~~~

 

Henry leaned back in his chair, staring at the computer screen and the data readouts, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Nathan—and Kim. He couldn’t help but feel for the man, remembering all too well how it had felt to get Kim back, if only for a little while.

 

It still hurt to think of the time he’d lost, the memories that had been stolen from them, and the four years no one else remembered. Henry knew he’d been lucky to get that much—but that didn’t make her death any easier to bear.

 

Nathan was in the same position with Jack now, in a way, and Henry couldn’t help but remember how it had felt. The pain was as fresh today as it had been the day after he’d woken up in a world without Kim.

 

Henry rubbed his eyes, resting his head in his hands for a moment, trying to contain his grief. He’d had a second chance with Kim, which was more than most people got.

 

And now, after a day spent with Nathan, Henry felt as though he had a second chance with his friend, too.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack walked through the door fifteen minutes late, immediately unbuckling his gun belt and dropping it on the side table. He’d spent the afternoon putting out fires, and it was only the fact that this was Jo’s weekend on-call that had allowed Jack to come home at all.

 

“You okay?” Nathan asked. He was setting the table, looking completely at home. His jacket was off, and Jack could see the bandage peeking out from under the sleeve of his t-shirt.

 

Jack shrugged. “Long day.”

 

“Sit down.” Nathan pulled one of the chairs out. “SARAH was holding dinner for you.”

 

Jack felt a little awkward sitting while Zoe and Nathan moved around the kitchen as though they’d been working as a team for years. “You got the silverware?” Zoe asked.

 

“Already on the table,” Nathan assured her, putting a glass full of Jack’s customary beer in front of him. “Drink up.”

 

Jack decided that he was too tired to argue. Instead, he watched as Nathan and Zoe moved around each other in the kitchen, clearly having reached some sort of understanding.  The last he knew, Zoe had been none too sure about Nathan, and now she seemed to actively enjoy having him around.

 

“How long have you been home?” Jack asked, directing his question at Nathan without thinking of the ramifications, or the fact that this was supposedly a temporary arrangement.

 

“A couple of hours,” Nathan replied.

 

“He’s been helping me with my homework,” Zoe said. “He explained the Maxwell-Boltzman distribution to me so that it actually made sense, and he’s a _way_ better teacher than Mrs. Oldsman.”

 

To Jack’s amusement, Nathan actually blushed. “When you have to learn something, you pick up tricks. I don’t mind sharing them.”

 

“Seriously, Dad,” Zoe said, ignoring Nathan. “You need to keep Nate around.”

 

It was Jack’s turn to blush; all he had to do was say the word, and Nathan would stay, but Jack wondered if it would be for the right reasons. Nathan had been in love with another Jack Carter—not him. Once he understood that…

 

Jack realized where his thoughts were going—that he was actually entertaining the idea of being with Nathan—and quickly put the brakes on. “I doubt he’s going anywhere, Zoe. Until Allison can convince the DOD that he shouldn’t be classified, he’s kind of stuck in Eureka.”

 

That wasn’t how he’d wanted the news to come out, and Jack winced. “Sorry, Nate. I talked to Allison today. She’s made some arrangements, but—”

 

“Save it for after dinner,” Nathan advised him, sitting down next to Jack. “I was stuck in D.C. for years. I think I can live with staying in Eureka for a while.”

 

“But you _are_ staying in Eureka, right?” Zoe asked. “Are they going to try and send him back to the other universe?”

 

Jack shook his head. “Allison doesn’t think that Fargo would be able to reproduce the experiment if he tried. So, you couldn’t go back if you wanted to.”

 

“I don’t.” Nathan took a sip of his own beer and began to dish up the pot roast SARAH had made. “I suppose it’s a good thing I like it here.”

 

Zoe smirked in a way that had Jack shifting nervously in his chair. “Good. You should definitely stay with us then.”

 

Nathan shot her a quelling look, and Jack tried to figure out when Zoe had gone from suspicious to actively trying to set them up.

 

“What?” Zoe asked, a smile playing around her lips. “You know that the only other place he could stay would be the bed and breakfast. There’s sort of a housing shortage in Eureka right now.”

 

“Housing shortage?” Nathan inquired.

 

Jack sighed. “It’s true enough. This is a closed community; people don’t come here unless they’re invited and they have the highest security clearance.” Jack rubbed his chin. “Plus, there was a thing recently with a sinkhole that ate a few of the houses. There’s usually a thing.”

 

“That’s how you wound up with a smart house,” Nathan guessed.

 

Jack nodded. “That would be how. Plus, Fargo wanted to test her out.”

 

“I’m not going to impose,” Nathan insisted, throwing Zoe a dirty look.

 

“It’s not an imposition,” Jack said quickly. “It’s not. You can stay here as long as you want.”

 

Jack couldn’t decipher Nathan’s expression. “I appreciate that.”

 

“You were going to tell us the story of how you and Dad met.” Zoe grabbed another roll and buttered it. “You promised.”

 

Jack hid a smile, realizing that Zoe had wrangled a promise from Nathan for information, something Jack hadn’t felt comfortable pressing for too hard. Not that Jack was surprised, but he was amused that Zoe had been able to wrap Nathan around her finger so easily.

 

“I did promise.” Nathan sipped his beer, and took a bite, chewing slowly.

 

“Nate!” Zoe protested, and Jack laughed out loud.

 

Nathan shot Jack a sly look, sharing his amusement, and the interaction warmed Jack down to his toes. Suddenly, Jack realized how easily this intimacy had come, how easy it would be to settle into a routine with Nathan and Zoe.

 

“Let’s hear the story, Nate,” he said.

 

Something of his recent thoughts must have shown in his face, because Nathan gave him a soft, considering look. “I found out that my boss was selling tech and national secrets to the Saudis, among others,” Nathan began. “After some serious consideration, I went to the Department of Defense, who sent me to the Department of Justice. Unfortunately, my boss found out what I’d done, and he sent someone after me.”

 

“He tried to kill you?” Zoe asked incredulously.

 

Nathan shrugged. “He was the head of a multi-billion dollar corporation, and my testimony would have stripped him of a number of defense contracts and sent him to prison for treason. He was very interested in me being dead.”

 

“Where were you shot?” Jack asked, remembering Nathan’s quiet assurance that he’d been hurt worse when he first showed up.

 

“Left leg,” Nathan replied. “The bullet missed the bone but hit an artery. After that, the DOD began discussing better ways to keep me safe.”

 

“And that’s when you met Dad?” Zoe asked.

 

Nathan smiled, his expression nostalgic. “I’d been locked up in a safe house for weeks, but the DOD wanted me back in my lab. Jack was the marshal assigned to protect me. I had considered backing out a hundred times before that, but the minute…” He trailed off. “Jack did exactly what he’d promised. He kept me safe.”

 

Jack reached over under the table and laid a comforting hand on Nathan’s knee.

 

“Dad transferred to D.C. for you?”

 

“I was in San Francisco at the time. I was transferred to D.C. later.”

 

Something in Nathan’s tone indicated that was as much of the story as he wanted to tell, and Jack searched for a way to effectively change the subject. Zoe did it for him, however, apparently deciding to be sensitive. “Would you mind helping me with my math homework after dinner, Nate?” she asked. “Our final year project is due soon, and I’d really appreciate it if you could look over it.”

 

“Sure, Zoe. I’d be happy to.” Nathan really did appear as though he’d be happy to help, and so Jack didn’t rebuke her for monopolizing Nathan’s time.

 

And, in fact, Nathan spent the evening double checking Zoe’s advanced calculus equations, not doing it for her, but leading her to the right answers, while Jack watched a ball game.

 

Zoe announced that she wasn’t going to do anymore work around ten. “I’m going to call Pilar,” she said, brushing a kiss against Jack’s cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dad. ‘Night, Nate.”

 

“’Night, Zo.”

 

“Good night, Zoe.”

 

Jack met Nathan’s eyes after he’d heard the bedroom door close upstairs. “Thanks for helping her. I’m not much use in that department.”

 

Nathan shrugged, looking away uncomfortably. “It really was my pleasure. She’s a smart kid, and a lot of fun.”

 

Jack grinned, pleased at the praise. He was inordinately proud of his daughter, but it was always nice hearing what he already knew from someone else—even if he suspected that Nathan was not objective.

 

“I did need to talk to you,” Jack began slowly. “About what Allison said this afternoon.”

 

Nathan joined him on the couch, his hands gripping his knees. “All right. Let’s hear the bad news, then.”

 

“It’s not bad news,” Jack quickly assured him. “You’re staying. I imagine it’s only a matter of time before the DOD offers you a position with Global. They’ll figure out that the important things are the same, and they’ll want to keep you here.”

 

Nathan winced. “I’m sure.”

 

“Nathan, if you don’t want to be here in Eureka, just say the word.” Jack tried, and failed, to catch the other man’s eye. “I’ve helped other people leave town before.”

 

“And lose your job?” Nathan shook his head. “No. No, I wasn’t lying earlier when I said I didn’t mind staying. It’s just—I’m tired of the DOD controlling my life.”

 

Jack winced sympathetically. “I don’t know how to get around that right now.”

 

Nathan waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. What else did Dr. Blake say?”

 

It was strange to hear Nathan call her that, but Jack didn’t comment on it. “She had some of Stark’s accounts released to you, so you’ll have money.”

 

Nathan began shaking his head. “I don’t—”

 

Jack held up a hand, cutting him off. “She’s determined, but she doesn’t really want to see you right now. If you could avoid her for the time being, that might be a good idea.”

 

“No offense, Jack, but I don’t particularly _want_ to see her.” Nathan scratched his beard. “I’m sure she’s a very nice person, but things are awkward between us to say the least.”

 

Jack chuckled. “Sorry. I’m used to the other Stark.”

 

“He was getting married to her, wasn’t he?”

 

“Had been married to her, and was going to be again.” Jack couldn’t quite keep the bitterness out of his voice.

 

“And you would rather it had been you.”

 

Jack coughed slightly. “At some point I would have said yes.”

 

“But not now?”

 

Nathan’s arm was stretched out along the back of the couch, his hand just behind Jack’s head, close enough that Jack could feel the heat of his body.

 

Jack settled back into the couch cushions, feeling the brush of Nathan’s fingers against the back of his head. He thought about moving away, but instead relaxed further, deciding not to question the impulse.

 

“Do you ever think that there’s a moment for a relationship to happen, and if it doesn’t, the chance has passed?” Jack asked.

 

Nathan’s fingers moved against the back of Jack’s head, whether by accident or design, Jack couldn’t tell. He wasn’t sure he cared.

 

“It’s an interesting theory,” Nathan replied, his voice low, causing Jack to instinctively lean closer. “Is that what happened?”

 

“I think so.”

 

Nathan’s gaze grew even more intense. “Can I ask you something?”

 

Jack hesitated, then said, “Anything.”

 

“I know it’s going to take time before you see me as someone other than your rival,” Nathan began. “And I meant what I said—I’m content with your friendship, Jack. I just want to know if there’s a possibility that you might be attracted to me.”

 

Nathan’s fingers brushed the back of Jack’s head again, and he knew it wasn’t an accident this time. “There’s more than a possibility. Just give me a little time.”

 

Nathan pulled his hand back, brushing Jack’s cheek as he did so. “Take all the time you need.”

 

Jack caught sight of the bandage on Nathan’s arm again, this time tinged with red. “Do you need some help changing bandages? I know how awkward that can be.”

 

“Uh, sure.”

 

“You want to shower first?”

 

The red staining Nathan’s cheeks was gratifying. “Yeah. That would be great.”

 

“I’ll wait for you in your room,” Jack said. “Leave your shirt off.”

 

Jack grabbed the first aid kit, then followed Nathan upstairs. Nathan grabbed some clothing, then said, “I’ll be back.”

 

Jack sat down on the guest room bed, then laid back, hands behind his head. He wondered what the hell he was doing, whether he was making a mistake by encouraging Nathan, but he’d been nothing but truthful.

 

Lost in thought, Jack didn’t move again until Nathan entered the bedroom again, wearing only a pair of shorts. “Thanks for doing this.”

 

“Sure.” Jack sat up, focusing first on the wound on his back, which looked to be healing well. He smeared antibiotic cream along the ragged gash, then removed a sterile gauze pad from its wrapping  before placing it over the wound.

 

“It’s strange,” Nathan said, as Jack began to tape the gauze pad in place. “There are all these things I know about you, and yet I have no idea if they’re still true.”

 

“Like what?” Jack asked, unable to help himself.

 

“You kissed another man for the first and last time in college. You liked to say that you were too drunk to know better.”

 

“His name was Mark,” Jack confirmed. “And yeah, it was a surprise on both sides, I think. What else?”

 

“The best day of your life was the day Zoe was born,” Nathan said. “You fought to get the time off so you could be home for a week after that to help Abby. Your relationship with Abby was good for a while, but then you started traveling more.”

 

“I was gone every other week,” Jack murmured, remembering. “And then three weeks out of four.”

 

“And when you were home, you fought with Abby so much that you found reasons to stay at work,” Nathan added. “And Abby found someone else to keep her company.”

 

Jack focused on the bullet wound on Nathan’s arm. “Yeah, that’s what happened. I should have been there.”

 

“Abby knew what she was getting into when she married you,” Nathan argued. Jack shot him a quelling look, and Nathan shrugged. “Sue me, I’m biased.”

 

Jack grinned, and tried to hide his blush. “This isn’t looking too bad,” he said, looking at Nathan’s arm.

 

“That’s good to hear.”

 

“I have that list of experiments for you and Henry,” Jack said as he smeared more antibiotic cream on Nathan’s arm, then began to wrap it with gauze. “I thought we could go over them tomorrow, maybe try to figure out what they all have in common.”

 

“Whatever I can do to help,” Nathan murmured.

 

Jack glanced up. “Eureka appreciates it.”

 

Nathan gave him a feral grin. “It’s not Eureka I care about right now.”

 

Jack swallowed, and bid him goodnight without saying more.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 

Nathan woke to SARAH’s voice saying, “Dr. Stark, it’s 7 o’clock. You asked to be woken at the same time as Sheriff Carter.”

 

“Thanks, SARAH,” he managed, grunting as he rolled over. Nathan closed his eyes and thought about going back to sleep, but he remembered that he’d promised to help both Henry and Jack that day.

 

Nathan sighed as he rolled out of bed. Jack had told him that the mattresses SARAH had been outfitted with were state of the art, and he could believe it. He’d slept better the last couple of nights than he had for years.

 

And last night had been even better, since he’d been left with the feeling of Jack’s gentle touch and the warm press of Jack’s hand on his bare shoulder. Jack’s words and actions had left Nathan with hope, which was more than he’d had in months.

 

Pulling on yesterday’s jeans, Nathan found a clean shirt in one of the bags and shook it out, trying to decide whether it was sufficiently wrinkle-free to wear. “I could press your clothes, Dr. Stark,” SARAH offered.

 

“Maybe tomorrow,” Nathan replied. “I’m going to run out of casual clothes pretty soon.”

 

“I can order more clothing for you,” SARAH offered. “I have the account information that Dr. Blake released to Sheriff Carter.” As though sensing his hesitation, the smart house added, “I can place the order, but hold it for your approval.”

 

“That would be great, SARAH.” Nathan hesitated, then asked, “Would you mind ordering a pair of running shoes, too?”

 

“I will add that to the list. Sheriff Carter will be pleased to have company during his morning workout.”

 

Nathan snorted, recognizing that SARAH had apparently taken up the matchmaking cause along with Zoe. “Thank you, SARAH.”

 

Jack was dressed and sipping coffee by the time Nathan got cleaned up, Zoe slipping into the bathroom with a mumbled “good morning” as soon as he’d emerged.

 

“Zoe out of bed?” Jack asked casually, handing Nathan a cup of coffee.

 

“Just saw her,” Nathan replied. “Do you have that list of experiments?”

 

Nathan wanted to focus on work and not on the possibility that Jack—_this_ Jack—could be interested in him.

 

Jack handed a printout, and Nathan began reading the list, picking up the pastry Jack set in front of him absently. “What sort of disruptions are we talking about?”

 

“Tests going haywire, equipment not working, things breaking.”

 

“Have you ruled out user error?” Nathan asked, taking a large bite.

 

Jack shrugged. “That many user errors in a two-day span? I don’t think so. Chances are good that something external is affecting them.”

 

“Affecting the experiments or the scientists?” Nathan asked.

 

Jack frowned, taking a sip of his coffee. “Good question. You up for making some house calls today? I’ll need someone to interpret scientist into English.”

 

Nathan hoped that the pleasure he felt at being able to accompany Jack wasn’t too obvious. “Sure. Won’t we be going to Global, though?”

 

Jack winced. “We’ll see if we can avoid that. Four or five of those experiments are going on off-site.”

 

Nathan nodded. “I’ll go, but if Dr. Blake—”

 

“Say no more,” Jack replied. “By the way, did SARAH talk to you about ordering more clothes? There isn’t much available here in Eureka, and since the DOD wants you to stay put, I thought that might be the easiest solution.”

 

Nathan fought the heat that rose to his face, grateful that his beard hid most of it. There was something about Jack Carter that put him at ease and had him worked up, almost at the same time. “SARAH did. I, uh, asked her to order some running shoes, too. It’s been a few months, but I used to go running.”

 

“Well, isn’t that a coincidence?” Jack asked with a mischievous grin. “So did I. Maybe once those shoes get here, you can join me, and I’ll whip you into shape.”

 

There was no mistaking the flirtation behind Jack’s words, and Nathan found himself grinning in response. “I’ll be happy to let you.”

 

“Okay! New rule,” Zoe said from behind them. “There is to be no PDA while I’m around. Seriously.”

 

Nathan looked to Jack, waiting for him to deny that anything of the sort was happening, but Jack just shrugged. “You don’t like it, don’t look. Otherwise, I’ll have to make a rule about not kissing Lucas when I’m around.”

 

Zoe gave Jack a highly affronted look. “You’re _always_ around!”

 

Jack grinned. “Deal with it.”

 

Zoe rolled her eyes expressively, but Nathan thought he detected the hint of a smile. “I have to get to school. See you guys tonight?”

 

“I’ve got a late shift tonight,” Jack replied, “but Nathan should be here.”

 

Nathan raised his eyebrows. “You’re asking me to babysit your daughter?”

 

“No, I’m asking her to look after you,” Jack shot back with a sly grin.

 

Zoe snorted. “You both need adult supervision.”

 

“Probably,” Jack admitted cheerfully.

 

“I’m going to school now.” Zoe waved at both of them as she left. “See you tonight, Nate.”

 

As soon as she’d left, Nathan looked at Jack. “No displays of affection, huh?”

 

“That’s what Zoe said, not me,” Jack responded. “Come on. We’ve got scientists to see.”

 

“I’ll create your order and hold it for your approval, Dr. Stark,” SARAH informed them as Jack headed for the door and Nathan stuffed the rest of his pastry into his mouth.

 

“Thanks, SARAH,” Nathan called through a full mouth as he hurried after Jack.

 

He slid into the passenger seat, refusing to think about how good it felt—flirting with Jack, helping Zoe with her homework, having someone to care when and where he ended his day. Nathan had never thought he would have the chance to have a family, and yet that’s what he felt like he was in the middle of right now.

 

“You okay?” Jack said after a few minutes of silence.

 

“I’m good.” Nathan hesitated before saying, “It’s just weird.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“But in a good way.”

 

Jack flashed a grin. “Yeah.”

 

~~~~~

 

Zane frowned as he checked the readouts again. His mental mouse project had gone haywire for no reason at all. He’d taken all the proper precautions, isolating the mental mouse from any other GD projects that could interfere with the signal. So far, Zane had had a lot of success, but now everything seemed to have gone to the dogs.

 

“Damn.” Zane pushed back from his desk, and looked around the lab. He generally stayed at GD, but after the trouble with Fargo’s rendition of the mental mouse, Zane had been working at the off-site lab dedicated to the task.

 

Running both hands through his hair, Zane thought for a moment, then called Joel Brasher, one of the scientists assigned to his team still at Global. “Hey, Joel. Have you been having any trouble lately?”

 

“What kind of trouble?” Joel asked, sounding as laconic as always.

 

“Anything—tests going awry, equipment not working like it’s supposed to, you name it.” Zane fought to keep his temper in check. Normally he was fine, but he’d been oddly anxious the last twenty-four hours or so.

 

“Uh, no. Everything has been running just fine. Should I be worried?”

 

“Double check the containment procedures,” Zane ordered. “There’s some weird shit going on right now, and I want to be sure that it doesn’t affect any of our more sensitive projects.”

 

“Got it,” Joel replied. “I’ll lock everything down on this end.”

 

Zane breathed a sigh of relief. Joel might be consistently stoic, but he was a man of his word. He’d make sure that things at GD were as tight as they could be. “Thanks. I’ll check in later.”

 

Turning back to his readouts, Zane tried to determine once again where the interference was coming from. Once he knew that much, he could figure out if his programming was screwed up, or if it was the fault of whatever had been going wrong in Eureka that had Jo so busy.

 

After a moment’s indecision, Zane started packing up the devices for transport to Global. Once he got rid of this little snag, it would be time to start running the controlled tests anyway, and the drones were isolated and under heavy shielding in Section 5. He’d just have to lock away the control devices, to avoid any of the mishaps Fargo had had.

 

~~~~~

 

They visited three different scientists at three different off-site labs that morning; Jack had to admit to being a little surprised by how easily Nathan interpreted “scientist” into words that he could understand—without prompting. Unfortunately, Jack hadn’t been hit with any epiphanies; other than the fact that all the scientists seemed a bit jumpy, there had been no indication of tampering.

 

And, considering that the experiments in question had involved some sort of electronic pulse, lab rats, radio waves, and Seth’s algae, Jack didn’t have a clue as to what tied them all together.

 

By lunch time, Jack was hungry and ready for a break, already tired of the curious stares that people had been directing at Nathan, the double takes and incredulous questions. Word might spread fast in Eureka, but it appeared that most hadn’t bought the rumors.

 

Jack understood all too well why Nathan tensed up as they walked into Café Diem to meet Henry for lunch.

 

Jack led the way to an empty table in the corner, understanding instinctively that Nathan would prefer to be out of the way of foot traffic, and out of the line of sight. Still, Nathan paused as they approached the table, and Jack knew that he was trying to decide whether to sit with his back to the corner—a more defensible position—or to put his back to the rest of the lunch crowd—hoping to go unnoticed.

 

Putting a gentle hand on Nathan’s shoulder, Jack nudged him towards the corner seat. “Henry and I will referee if necessary,” Jack murmured so that only Nathan could hear. “Folks around here gossip, but they understand a need for privacy.”

 

Nathan threw him a look that was half-exasperated, half-appreciative, and that alone made Jack grin.

 

Sometime in the last couple of days, Jack had come to terms with the fact that Nathan Stark—one of them, anyway—_liked_ him. Liked him enough to want friendship and more. Oddly enough, the fact that the reverse was true wasn’t that big of a surprise; Jack had known that he _could_ like Nathan for a while now.

 

Nathan settled into his chair with the kind of wariness Jack knew all too well; he’d seen it on other marshals who had been out in the field chasing the worst bad guys for far too long.  That expression, coupled with the longer hair and scruffy beard, would keep most of the citizens of Eureka from looking too closely, even if the rumor that Nathan Stark was back had already flown through town.

 

Henry appeared almost immediately after they’d taken their seats, flanking Nathan in a gesture Jack knew was supposed to be comforting. “How did the interviews go this morning?”

 

Jack shrugged. “We got a lot of information about experiments that I never wanted to know were going on, but other than that, nothing.”

 

Henry shook his head. “I’ve been going over the list, and they’re all in different areas. I have no idea why they would have been affected when others weren’t.”

 

“Nathan suggested it was user error,” Jack said, glancing up as Vincent approached. “Hey, Vince.”

 

“Are you gentlemen expecting anyone else?” Vincent asked.

 

Jack looked to the doorway, waving Jo over as she walked in to the café. “Just Jo.”

 

“Sorry I’m late,” Jo said, sounding a little breathless as she slid into the remaining empty seat. “There was some trouble with Dr. Young.”

 

Jack frowned. “What kind of trouble?”

 

“She totally freaked out.” Jo glanced up at Vincent. “Could I get a glass of water, Vincent?”

 

“Anyone else?” Vincent prompted.

 

They all put in their drink orders, and Jack turned to Jo. “What kind of trouble?” Jack asked once Vincent had left.

 

“She claimed that there had been an infestation of killer mice at her place.” The tight press of Jo’s lips indicated how she felt about Dr. Young’s claims. “A neighbor called the station because Dr. Young was screaming so loudly. And then, when I arrived, there wasn’t a mouse to be seen.”

 

Nathan cleared his throat, sounding uncharacteristically hesitant. Or maybe that was completely characteristic of a Nathan Stark who had been shot a couple of times and sucked into their universe from a different one, Jack thought. “What if the events are connected?”

 

“Which events, Nathan?” Henry asked, his voice gentle, and Jack noticed that Henry didn’t seem to have any trouble with the idea of dealing with an alternate Nathan.

 

“The only thing that these experiments all have in common is that they’re susceptible to electrical impulses,” Nathan began. “We know that Fargo didn’t see what he claims, and that Dr. Young didn’t have mice in her house.”

 

Jack held up a hand. “Wait. Are you saying that the same thing affecting these experiments is causing people to imagine things?”

 

“The human brain is susceptible to electrical impulses as well,” Nathan replied. “It’s possible.”

 

Jack snorted. “In this town, anything is possible.”

 

Vincent reappeared with their drinks. “What can I get you all to eat?”

 

Jo asked for Pad Thai, while Henry ordered a club sandwich. Jack had every intention of ordering his usual hamburger, but Nathan met his gaze with an unspoken challenge. “Surprise me,” Nathan said. “And if the sheriff isn’t too chicken, he’ll have what I’m having.”

 

Jack gave some thought to flipping Nathan the bird, but decided that it would be unprofessional. Something of that must have shown on his face, because Nathan just gave him a wicked grin and leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head.

 

“Fine, but if I hate it, I reserve the right to say I told you so.”

 

Nathan glanced up at Vincent. “You heard the man.”

 

Vincent nearly glowed. “Thank you, Dr. Stark. Sheriff, your taste buds will thank me.”

 

“We’ll see about that,” Jack grumbled, poking Nathan’s shin with his shoe under the table.

 

Catching Henry’s grin and Jo’s speculative frown, Jack realized belatedly that he’d just been flirting with Nathan in front of his friends. A moment later, he decided that he didn’t care.

 

“What about these electrical impulses, or whatever they are?” Jack asked, deciding that it was time to change the subject. “Is there some way we can prove or disprove your theory?”

 

“Nathan and I can scan for any unusual signals,” Henry said. “And I’ll go over the list again. Maybe we’ll find something we missed, be able to narrow down the possibilities.”

 

Jack nodded. “Good. If this is causing people to see things that aren’t there, the situation could get very sticky.”

 

“That’s an understatement.” Jo took a long drink before finishing her thought. “Fargo killing one of Seth’s plants would be the least of our concerns.”

 

Jack winced, all the ways that everything could go horribly wrong running through his head. Not for the first time, he gave serious consideration to sending Zoe out of town, but he knew he’d have a real fight on his hands.

 

“We’ll figure it out, Jack,” Nathan said quietly, and the reassurance served its purpose, because Jack believed him.

 

Whatever Nathan Stark’s faults, in any universe, he’d always been competent, and Jack felt better knowing that Nathan was on the case.

 

“I know we will.”

 

The conversation turned to other topics after that, as they were unable to make any decisions without more information. Jo described the incident at Dr. Young’s house in more detail, this time describing Dr. Young and the neighbor’s reactions. Although it was probably cruel to laugh, all of them did. Jack figured that if invisible mice were as bad as it got, they’d be in good shape.

 

Jack was in the middle of explaining flying rabbits to Nathan when Vincent showed up with their food. “Okay, for Henry, the club sandwich.” Jack could smell the warm meat and melted cheese and fries, and his mouth started watering. He made a mental note to remember to order the club at some point.

 

Vincent put a plate full of Pad Thai in front of Jo, and then presented two identical plates to Jack and Nathan. “And for you gentlemen, Duck a l’Orange with steamed green beans and rice pilaf.”

 

Jack tried not to allow his distaste to show. “Great. Thanks, Vince.”

 

Nathan grinned and began to eat with enthusiasm. “Come on, Jack. It’s good.”

 

With a sigh, Jack dug in. The first bite was tasty, but there was no way he was about to admit that he enjoyed the duck as much as he liked his hamburger. “Not too bad.”

 

Nathan’s knowing grin suggested that he knew how much Jack was enjoying his meal. “I still like hamburgers,” Jack insisted.

 

“I’m well aware,” Nathan replied.

 

Jack snorted. “Yeah, well, I was just reminding you.” He took another bite of duck—which was really, really good—and stopped mid-chew when Fargo burst into Café Diem.

 

“Sheriff! Taggart has gone crazy!”

 

Swallowing hastily, Jack sprung out of his seat, reacting without thinking, knowing that the words “Taggart” and “crazy” in the same sentence did not bode well. Almost as an afterthought, he turned and pointed at Nathan. “You stay put.”

 

He followed Jo out of the café onto the sidewalk. Taggart stood in the middle of the street, a PEP gun in hand. As soon as Taggart spotted Jack, he shot a dart, which missed Jack by a hair as he dove for the ground.

 

“Jo, we’re going to have to use the taser!” Jack yelled as dove for the ground. “Shit!”

 

“You distract him!” Jo called.

 

Jack wanted to argue, but Jo had already pulled out her taser and was attempting to flank Taggart. Jack winced, knowing that he was probably going to get shot with a dart, and that he was going to have the mother of all hangovers later.

 

“Taggart! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

 

Jack’s shout pulled Taggart’s attention back in his direction, along with the barrel of his PEP gun. “You don’t understand, Sheriff! Lojack is taking over. You might already have been brainwashed.”

 

Feinting left, then right, Jack dodged the next dart, and he breathed a sigh of relief when Jo hit Taggart with the taser. Taggart went down like a ton of bricks, and Jack straightened and brushed himself off.

 

“Come on, Jo.” Jack helped her haul Taggart to his feet. “We’ll stick him in lockup until he’s come to his senses. If we move fast enough, we might even manage to get back to lunch before it gets too cold.”

 

And with any luck, Jack thought, Nathan and Henry would figure out what was causing this mess before anyone was hurt too badly.

 

~~~~~

 

Jo watched as Taggart began to stir on the jail cell cot, sitting up slowly, and licking his lips. She knew from experience that the side effects of the tranquilizer included dry mouth, and Jo grabbed a cup from the water cooler and filled it up. “Are you going to behave yourself?”

 

Taggart eyed her suspiciously. “Why should I? You’re probably in league with the enemy.”

 

“No, that would be you.” Jo handed him the cup of water through the bars of the cell. “What the heck was that, Taggart?”

 

He looked away, his expression a mixture of shame and defiance. “I couldn’t be certain who Lojack subverted.”

 

Jo rolled her eyes. “No one was subverted, Taggart, but there’s something going on that’s making everybody really paranoid—including you.”

 

Taggart snorted. “That’s what you think. I know better.”

 

She sighed. “Look, I don’t really want to keep you in here because it’s a pain in the ass, but I can’t let you go if you’re going to shoot people with a tranq gun.”

 

Taggart glared at her suspiciously. “What about Lojack?”

 

“What about Lojack?”

 

“He’s taking over, Jo!” Taggart exclaimed. “You can’t tell me that you don’t see it.”

 

Jo could tell him exactly that, but she knew better. “You’re right, Taggart. The problem is that the sheriff and I have been running an operation for the last month digging into Lojack’s activities. If you disrupt it now, we’ll never know what he’s really up to.”

 

“Oh. Oh!” Taggart exclaimed. “I see.” He put a finger to the side of his nose. “You want to keep the operation quiet.”

 

Jo smiled. “Exactly.”

 

“Then I’ll leave you to it, Deputy.”

 

Jo wasn’t sure she believed him, but having someone in the cell meant 24-hour watches, and it really would be a pain in the ass. With all the trouble they’d been having, Jo knew that the last thing they needed was another problem.

 

She turned as Carter entered the station. “So, what’s it going to be, Taggart? You going to leave the law enforcement to me and Jo, or are you going to stay here?”

 

“I’ll leave it up to you.” Taggart sounded sullen, but Jo knew he prided himself on keeping his word.

 

“Good enough for me,” she declared.

 

Carter grabbed the keys and unlocked the cell. “Behave yourself, Taggart.”

 

“Of course, Sheriff.”

 

When he walked out of the station, Carter turned to look at her. “You believe him?”

 

Jo shrugged. “I believe he’ll probably try.”

 

Carter shook his head. “Yeah. I guess that’s all we can hope for.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 

Nathan went over the data they had collected, searching for any anomalies. He’d had deadlines before, of course. The Department of Defense liked to order new toys and have them ready on time, but this was different. Nathan had never felt the pressure of solving a problem with lives hanging in the balance.

 

Not that he knew for certain that people would die if he and Henry didn’t come up with some explanation as to why Fargo and Dr. Young had been hallucinating, but he suspected that things could start going _very _wrong.

 

“I think I have something,” Henry announced.

 

Nathan turned to look at Henry. “What have we got?”

 

“I’ve finally gotten a read on the electrical impulses,” Henry replied. “They’re too sporadic for me to tell where they’re coming from, though.”

 

Nathan leaned closer to the computer screen, reading the lines of code effortlessly. “May I?”

 

Henry moved out of his seat, allowing Nathan to take his seat. “Do you have something?”

 

“I’ve written code for this sort of thing before,” Nathan murmured. “I can write a program that will monitor the electrical impulses, and will hopefully pinpoint the location.” He looked up to give Henry a quick grin. “This is old hat.”

 

“Get to it, Nathan.” Henry smiled and turned to another project.

 

An hour later, Nathan had the code written and implemented. He hadn’t lied; Nathan had worked on this sort of project for the Department of Defense in the past. “Done,” Nathan announced, glancing up at the clock.

 

“Go on,” Henry said knowingly. “SARAH will have dinner waiting for you.”

 

“Yeah, I guess she will.” Nathan stood and stretched. “See you tomorrow?”

 

“Just come by,” Henry responded. “Whatever I’m working on, I’ll be happy to have your help.”

 

Nathan smiled. “Thanks, Henry.”

 

“You want a ride back?” Henry offered.

 

Nathan shook his head. “I’m used to walking, and it’s not that far.”

 

A mile down the road, Nathan heard the quick beep-beep of a horn, and he turned to see a small, blue car slow its approach. Zoe pulled up next to him and called out the window, “Need a ride?”

 

Nathan eyed the tiny car apprehensively, but finally shrugged. “If you don’t think I’ll break it.”

 

Zoe snorted. “Please. Dad’s ridden with me before.”

 

Nathan refrained from pointing out that he had a couple of inches on Jack as he folded himself behind the dashboard. He heard Zoe snickering but decided to ignore her. Managing to shift the seat back with some effort, Nathan finally felt as though his knees weren’t up near his ears.

 

“Can I ask you a question?”

 

Zoe’s tone indicated that Nathan might not like it. “You can. I won’t promise to answer.”

 

“The whole idea behind string theory is that where someone could make one decision or another, a new parallel universe springs up to reflect the road untaken.” Zoe glanced over at him. “So, what was the decision that made your dimension different from ours?”

 

“Probably a number of them,” Nathan replied. “When one universe diverges from another, anything and everything could be different.”

 

Zoe rolled her eyes. “Come on, Nathan. There has to be something big.”

 

“I think it probably has something to do with the existence of this town.” Nathan heaved a grateful sigh as Zoe pulled up in front of the bunker, and he levered himself out of the car. “I don’t think that Eureka existed. If I had to guess, that would be the major difference.”

 

“So, not a decision that I made,” Zoe said, pulling her bag out of the backseat.

 

Nathan smiled, vaguely recalling the egocentrism of his own teenage years. “No, I don’t think it was any decision that you made, Zoe.”

 

“It’s weird,” Zoe replied. “Knowing that if I agree to go with Lucas to the big end of the year dance, there will be one universe, and if I don’t, there will be another.”

 

“Is there a reason you wouldn’t go with him?” Nathan asked, assuming that Lucas was Zoe’s boyfriend.

 

“Well, no,” Zoe replied. “I mean, he’s my boyfriend. It’s not like we’re breaking up.”

 

“Then…” Nathan raised his eyebrows as SARAH opened the door for them. “What’s the problem?”

 

“It’s just weird!” Zoe protested.

 

Nathan grinned. “It is weird.”

 

“So, isn’t it weird for you?”

 

“It’s strange.”

 

Zoe glared at him. “That’s it?”

 

Nathan shrugged. “What else did you want me to say?”

 

She sighed dramatically. “I’m a teenage girl, Nate. We like to talk about our feelings.”

 

He laughed freely. “And how does that normally work for you with your dad?”

 

Zoe sniffed. “That doesn’t mean it’s impossible for you to do.”

 

He shrugged. “Sorry.”

 

“I’m going over to Pilar’s tonight to study, and I’ll be back late,” Zoe announced. “I already told Dad.” She paused. “As long as you’re okay here by yourself.”

 

“I think I’ll be fine,” Nathan replied dryly.

 

He settled on the couch, watching with some amusement as Zoe ran around the bunker, gathering what she needed for the night. “See you, Nate!”

 

“Have fun!” Nathan leaned back and rubbed his eyes. “SARAH, could I get the last article I was reading on the screen?”

 

“Of course, Dr. Stark. Can I interest you in dinner?”

 

“Not right now, SARAH,” Nathan replied. “I’m not all that hungry.”

 

“Let me know if you need anything.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Nathan continued reading, absorbing the information effortlessly. Most of it was old news, but not all of it was, and he was lost in thought when a beeping sound startled him. “What—”

 

“Dr. Blake is calling, Dr. Stark,” SARAH said.

 

Nathan frowned. “Put her through, SARAH.”

 

“Audio and video?”

 

“Sure.” Nathan sighed; talking to Allison was the last thing he wanted at the moment. Allison made him feel awkward and guilty, through no fault on either side, and she was in the position to make his life very difficult.

 

“Na—Nate.” Allison smiled nervously, and Nathan could read discomfort in the way she smoothed her hands over her blazer.

 

“Jack isn’t here,” Nathan said, wanting to get this discussion over with quickly.

 

Allison forced a smile. “I wanted to speak with you, actually. General Mansfield wants a debriefing with you at 10 am tomorrow. I’ll let Jack know, but if he can’t drive you to Global, I’ll send a car.”

 

“Thank you.” Nathan kept his tone polite, trying not to give away how uncomfortable he was with the idea.

 

Some of his discomfort must have been clear, however—either that or Allison knew how to read him. “Whatever happens, Nate, I will ensure that you have the option of staying in Eureka. Someone will look out for your interests, and if it’s not me, I’m certain that Jack will.”

 

Nathan nodded slowly. “Thank you.”

 

“Of course.” Allison took a deep, audible breath. “I hope that we can be friends.”

 

Nathan gave a jerky nod, hoping that he didn’t appear too churlish. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

 

She ended the call, and Nathan allowed his head to fall back against the couch cushions.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want something to eat, Dr. Stark?” SARAH ventured.

 

“I’m sure,” Nathan replied. “But I’d take something to drink.”

 

~~~~~

 

Jack dragged himself to the bunker just as the sun was rising; he’d spent the night dealing with one non-existent emergency after another, interspersed with a few actual emergencies brought about by malfunctioning lab equipment.

 

“SARAH, door,” Jack said hoarsely. “Where’s Nathan?”

 

“Dr. Stark went to bed some time ago. He asked me to let you know that Allison has requested his presence at Global Dynamics this morning at 10.”

 

SARAH managed to sound apologetic, and Jack stifled his groan at the thought of no sleep. “I’m going to shower and go to sleep. Wake me up in a couple of hours, SARAH.”

 

“Of course. Would you like breakfast?”

“Yeah, and coffee.”

 

Jack didn’t bother dressing after he got out of the shower, instead collapsing face-first onto the bed, towel still wrapped around his waist. He didn’t stir until SARAH turned the lights up in the room, announcing, “You wanted me to wake you, Sheriff.”

 

“Five more minutes,” Jack mumbled into the pillow.

 

“Jack?” The bed dipped under Nathan’s added weight. “I brought coffee. SARAH told me you got in late.”

 

“Try really early.” Jack thought about rolling over and belatedly realized that all he was wearing was a towel. “Give me a minute, and I’ll get dressed.”

 

“Sure.” Jack felt a warm hand press his shoulder, moving away slowly enough that it might have been a caress.

 

Once he heard the door close behind Nathan, Jack rolled out of bed wearily and sipped at the coffee Nathan had brought. He’d finished it by the time he arrived downstairs, and Nathan took the empty mug from him before replacing it with a full one.

 

“You know, I could get used to this,” Jack said with a smile. “Have you seen Zoe this morning?”

 

“She left an hour ago for an early study session with Pilar and Lucas,” Nathan replied, sliding a plate with a bagel, already sliced and covered with cream cheese, towards Jack.

 

Jack eyed the plate, then leaned closer, noting the lines of fatigue and worry around Nathan’s mouth, and the dark circles under his eyes. “Okay, what’s up?”

 

“I’m fine.” Nathan turned away, shrugging uncomfortably. “I should get cleaned up.”

 

“Nate, it’s going to be fine.” Jack caught at Nathan’s arm, his hand closing around Nathan’s strong wrist. “I won’t tell you not to worry, but—”

 

“Don’t worry?” Nathan suggested with a rueful smile. “Yeah. I’ll be ready.”

 

Jack settled back in his seat and focused on his bagel and coffee, letting his mind go blank. He had no doubt that the day would bring another series of emergencies, but he didn’t much want to think about that right now.

 

A throat cleared behind him, and Jack turned slowly, blinking at the apparition in front of him. “Ready to go, Jack?”

 

Other than the longer hair, Nathan looked almost exactly as Stark had the day he died—the designer suit and tie, the neatly trimmed beard, the casual elegance. And then Nathan’s face creased with concern, and he stepped closer. “Jack, are you okay?”

 

“Fine,” Jack said, pulling himself together and revising his plans. There was no way he was going to leave Nathan at Global alone; until now, Nathan’s scruffy appearance had made it easy to remember that he wasn’t the same Stark who had died.

 

Jack suspected that Allison would be hit especially hard.

 

“You clean up nicely.” Jack grabbed his gun belt and led the way out the door. “Bye, SARAH!”

 

Nathan was silent during the ride to GD, and Jack was distracted by Jo’s phone call, requesting details about the previous night. “Stop by Henry’s,” Jack ordered. “See where he’s at with pinpointing those electrical impulses, because I want this stopped.”

 

“You got it, Chief. You coming by the station?”

 

“I’m going to stay at GD until the DOD finishes the debriefing,” Jack replied. “We’ll see after that.”

 

Jack was a little discomfited by Jo’s knowing tone as she said goodbye, but a denial would simply confirm whatever suspicions were running through her mind.

 

And, Jack admitted to himself, those suspicions weren’t entirely unfounded.

 

Allison approached them as they crossed the lobby, her quick steps faltering a bit when she caught sight of Nathan. She quickly recovered, smiling impartially at both of them. “Let me show you to the conference room, Nate, and then I’ll let the general know you’re waiting.”

 

“This is a video conference?” Jack asked, falling into step next to Allison, Nathan trailing just behind him.

 

Allison nodded. “I’ve already spoken to General Mansfield, and I’ll be standing by to join the conversation later.”

 

Jack began to have a bad feeling about this meeting, but he kept his expression neutral, not wanting to make Nathan any more nervous than he was already. “If you’ve got some time, I’d like to talk to you about that problem we’re having.”

 

“I’ll meet you in my office,” Allison said.

 

Jack hesitated, oddly reluctant to leave Nathan alone with her, but he finally nodded. “Sure. Good luck, Nathan.”

 

Nathan’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Thanks.”

 

Jack didn’t have to wait for long before Allison appeared, and Jack sensed that her professional demeanor was shaky at best. “Allison—” he began.

 

She held up a hand to stop him. “Don’t, Jack. I can’t talk about this right now.” Her smile was tremulous. “He looked…”

 

“I know.” Jack rubbed his hands on his pant legs, resisting the urge to go to her as Allison sat down behind her desk, clearly trying to achieve some distance. “It was like seeing a ghost.”

 

Allison cleared her throat. “Now, what about these electrical impulses? Henry filled me in yesterday evening, but do we have any more news?”

 

Jack outlined what had happened the night before, finishing with, “He said he’d let me know as soon as Nathan’s program harvests enough data to be useful.”

 

Allison nodded. “Are you going to wait for Nathan?”

 

“If you don’t mind.”

 

“Why don’t you get some sleep on the couch?” she suggested. When he hesitated, she smiled. “Jo or Henry will call if they need you.”

 

Jack gave the couch a longing look, and finally shrugged. “Why not? You’ll come get me if you need me?”

 

Allison smiled indulgently. “Yes, Carter. Stop worrying so much.”

 

He shrugged. “Part of the job description.”

 

Of course, his cell phone rang as soon as he sat down. “Carter.”

 

“Hey, Dad.”

 

“Zoe?” Jack shared an alarmed look with Allison. “What’s wrong?”

 

“We’ve got a problem at Tesla. The principle locked the school down because she said there was a shooter in the hallways, but there’s no one there.” Zoe sounded more annoyed than panicked, but Jack didn’t know if she was aware of the whole situation.

 

“Are you sure? And why hasn’t someone called me?”

 

“I don’t know!” Zoe snapped. “I just know that she said we shouldn’t call because it wasn’t safe. It’s weird, Dad.”

 

“I’m on my way,” Jack promised. “Just sit tight.”

 

Allison gave him a quizzical look as Jack stood up. “Zoe?”

 

“The principal is either being affected by this thing, or there’s a shooter at the high school.” Jack couldn’t hide his worry. “Look, if Nathan—”

 

“I’ll make sure he gets home safely,” Allison replied. “And Jack? Be careful.”

 

Jack had already dialed Jo by the time he strode out of Allison’s office. “We’ve got a problem at Tesla High,” Jack said without preamble. “Bring the vests.”

 

“I’ll be there in five,” Jo replied without hesitation. “Did Zoe call you?”

 

“Yeah. I’m leaving GD now.” Jack didn’t hesitate to throw on the siren and lights, which he rarely used, and he broke every traffic law there was on his way to the high school.

 

Jo was waiting for him, her vest on and a very large gun tucked under her right arm. Jack caught the vest she tossed his way and strapped it on quickly, then pulled his pistol from its holster. “It’s probably a hallucination,” Jack said, mostly to convince himself. “But we’re going to treat it like a real threat. With those damn electrical impulses, it might be a kid who’s gone crazy, too.”

 

Jo nodded. “On your six, Carter.”

 

Jack smiled briefly, grateful for Jo’s unflagging support. “Let’s go.”

 

The entrance was clear as Jack slipped inside, Jo at his back. Stopping at the office, Jack peered through the glass doors but didn’t see anyone. He and Jo moved down the main hallway cautiously, clearing every room as they passed, sending students out the front doors.

 

When they reached the classroom Zoe was in, Jack couldn’t resist giving her a brief hug. Lucas was just behind her, and Jack gave him a hard look. “Get her out of here,” he directed.

 

“Be careful,” Zoe said, her eyes flickering between him and Jo.

 

“Promise.” Jack waited until the kids were down the hall before he signaled Jo to keep searching.

 

They cleared the whole building, and Jack led the way back to the office with a grimace. “I really hope Henry gets the situation cleared up soon,” he muttered. “I’m getting tired of this.”

 

“You and me both,” Jo replied, standing on the other side of the office door as Jack rapped on the glass.

 

Jack waited for a moment before shouting, “Hello? Principal Wallace? It’s Sheriff Carter. Deputy Lupo and I have cleared the building. It’s safe to come out now.”

 

Saying a silent prayer that he wouldn’t have to break down the door, Jack remained silent for a long minute. “If you don’t open the door, I’m going to have to break it down.”

 

After a tense silence, the door swung open slowly. “Sheriff?” The principal peered out nervously. “Is he gone?”

 

Jack exchanged a look with Jo; if the situation weren’t so serious, he might have been amused. “Yeah, everything is okay. You can come out now. I’ll need you to come to GD to get checked out. I’ll drive you.”

 

“I’ll have Henry meet you there,” Jo said.

 

“Tell him to bring the results.”

 

Jack guided the principal out  and tucked her into the back of the Jeep, stopping to make sure Zoe was okay. By the time Jack delivered Principal Wallace to the infirmary, he’d heard all about the young shooter who had supposedly been roaming the halls of Tesla High. When he asked why she hadn’t called him first thing, Principal Wallace explained that it wouldn’t have done any good because the phone lines had been cut.

 

“This was an attack,” Principal Wallace explained earnestly. “They always disrupt communication.”

 

“Yeah, I know they do.” Jack gladly handed her off to the Global doctors and pulled his phone out of his pocket as it rang. “What?”

 

“How is Zoe?” Allison asked immediately.

 

“Fine. It was another hallucination,” Jack replied. “Nathan?”

 

“The general is done with him.”

 

“You want to fill me in?”

 

“I’ll let Nate do that,” Allison responded. “He’s waiting for you in Henry’s lab.”

 

“Thanks, Allison.”

 

“Jack—take care of him. It was a rough session.”

 

Jack could hear the barely-restrained emotion in her voice. “You got it.”

 

He spotted Nathan slouched in a chair immediately upon entering Henry’s lab; Nathan’s jacket and tie were nowhere to be seen, and without the jacket, Jack could see the telltale signs that the dress shirt hadn’t been tailored with _this_ man in mind. The shirt was just a little loose around the shoulders, the belt cinched tighter than it should have been.

 

In a way, Jack found those details reassuring, and he moved to stand in front of Nathan. “You okay?”

 

“It’s a catch-22.” Nathan’s eyes were closed, and he spoke without opening them. “Because I have no background to check, they can’t give me clearance to stay in Eureka, but because I’m part of a classified research experiment, they can’t let me leave.” Nathan’s eyes finally flickered open, and his lips twisted into something like a smirk. “So, I’m stuck in limbo.”

 

“If I know Allison, she didn’t leave you there,” Jack responded, crouching down so that he was at eye level with Nathan. “What happened?”

 

“She convinced the general to give me clearance to stay, under your supervision. I’m on probation for a year, and if I haven’t presented a security risk by then, I get the same clearance that the previous Stark had—assuming you vouch for me.” Nathan shrugged. “And assuming you agree to take custody of me, of course.”

 

“I don’t think that’s a problem.” Jack laid a cautious hand on Nathan’s knee. “What are you supposed to do in the meantime?”

 

“Off site lab and whatever resources Allison can get me from the budget margins.” Nathan’s chuckle held no real humor. “With the understanding that the DOD has every right to pull me in and question me any time they see fit, for any information I might have that would be useful.”

 

Nathan seemed exhausted, and Jack squeezed his knee. “I’ll give you whatever protection I can, Nate.”

 

“I can take care of myself.” The protest held no real heat, however, and Jack rose, patting him on the shoulder.

 

Whatever reassurance Jack might have offered, it was interrupted by Henry’s entrance. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything for you,” Henry announced. “At least, not as to the cause. I have discovered what sort of electrical impulses they are, however.”

 

“Let’s hear it,” Jack said, turning his attention to Henry, sensing Nathan rising behind him, close enough so that Jack could feel his heat.

 

Henry’s fingers flew across his keyboard, pulling up data that had no meaning to Jack. Nathan leaned in, and Jack took a step back, allowing Nathan to get closer to the screen.

 

“Incredibly short bursts,” Nathan murmured. “Every four hours.”

 

“Right.” Henry kept typing. “My suspicion is that all of those affected are uniquely susceptible for a variety of possible medical reasons, but the longer this goes on, the more likely others will begin to show signs of irritability, paranoia, and full-blown delusions.”

 

Jack frowned. “All right. Let’s figure out where this is coming from, Henry. I want it shut down yesterday.”

 

Henry nodded. “You’ll know as soon as I do, Jack. Until then, I’ll work on finding a way to disrupt it, prevent it from affecting the townspeople.”

 

“Thanks.” Jack rubbed his eyes and felt a hand on his shoulder.

 

“I’ll drive,” Nathan said quietly. “You need some sleep, and I imagine you’ll want to spend some time with Zoe.”

 

“Yeah, let’s get something to eat,” Jack replied. “I’ll bet Zoe’s in the mood for a milkshake at Café Diem. Call you later, Henry.”

 

“Get some rest, Jack,” Henry advised. “My guess is that you’re going to need it.”

 

Jack suspected that Henry was right about that.

 

~~~~~

 

Allison closed the blinds in her office, just managing to hold onto her emotions until she knew she was alone. The tears leaked out at that point, the grief pouring over her in a fresh wave.

 

Up until the point she’d seen him walking across the Global lobby, Allison could pretend that it wasn’t _really_ Nathan. She had tried to convince herself that Nate was no more like Nathan than a brother would be. He didn’t love her; he wasn’t the man she loved.

 

Allison wanted it to be easy; she’d wanted her emotions kept strictly in check. But she _remembered_ the suit he’d been wearing; she’d been with him when he purchased it, and seeing this Nathan in it again brought all the memories flooding back.

 

She clutched the logic diamond that hung around her throat; she hadn’t worn it much since she’d viewed Nathan’s message. Allison hadn’t wanted to catch a glimpse of Nathan every time she turned around. The last couple of days, however…

 

With trembling hands, Allison unclasped the necklace and set it on her desk, trying to tell herself that she didn’t need to listen to Nathan’s message again. It would be too confusing.

 

“Oh, God, Nathan,” she whispered, remembering the tight, angry expression on Nate’s face as General Mansfield explained the position of the Joint Chiefs. She’d stepped in then, hoping to get him a reprieve, and she’d been given a choice: either she took responsibility, or Carter did.

 

One look at Nate’s face had told her whom he preferred, and she’d been able to keep her voice under control as she told the general that the sheriff had already expressed his willingness.

 

Allison’s chest ached with restrained tears, and she took a deep breath as she triggered the mechanism for the holographic display.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 

_“I hate this,” Nathan muttered, pacing the hallway. “You know as well as I do that jail time isn’t going to prevent him from coming after me.”_

_Jack didn’t try to convince him otherwise. “Yeah, but the DOD and the Marshals know that, too, Nathan. Why don’t you sit down?”_

_“I can’t.” He stopped in front of Jack. “What if—”_

_“Stop right there,” Jack advised, stretching out. “You’ll drive yourself crazy. That big brain of yours will come up with far too many possibilities.”_

_Nathan sat down next to Jack. “God, I want a vacation.”_

_“Come to L.A. with me,” Jack urged. “After this is done. I’ll talk to my supervisor. You can meet Zoe.”_

_“If you can convince my handler to let me go, yeah.” Nathan nudged Jack with his shoulder, sharing a grin. “I’d like to meet your daughter, Jack.”_

_“She’ll be shocked, and she’ll probably be embarrassed that her dad has a boyfriend, but that’s a parent’s job, right? Embarrassing the hell out of your kid?”_

_Nathan shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I never had any.”_

_Jack’s radio squawked, and he answered absently, “Yeah?”_

_“We’ve got a problem. Sullivan hasn’t shown up, and we were just notified that he’s left the country. You need to get Stark out of there. We heard Sullivan increased the bounty, and they know he’s there to testify.” Nathan easily made out the words on the other end, and he read Jack’s anxiety in the tense set of his jaw._

_“And that’s something new?” Jack asked sarcastically, but he was already on his feet, a hand on Nathan’s arm. “We’re on our way out.”_

_The easy banter of a moment before was replaced by Jack’s intense focus. Nathan allowed himself to be hustled towards the back entrance of the courthouse, trusting that Jack knew what he was doing._

_Nathan never knew what Jack saw or sensed once they were a few feet out of the back door, but he threw himself in front of Nathan._

_Time seemed to slow down as a red splotch blossomed on the front of Jack’s shirt. Jack should have been wearing a vest, but he’d taken it off inside the courthouse, as had Nathan. It had been too hot, and they should have been safe. They should have taken the time to put the vests back on, but—_

_Too late now._

_Nathan reached out, pulling Jack into his arms. “Jack!” He slumped down to the ground, easing Jack’s fall. “Jack, don’t you dare leave me.”_

_“Nathan.” The word was a mere breath, and Nathan heard shouts and gunfire around him, but he ignored all of it, pulling Jack closer._

_“Jack.” Nathan brought his lips close to Jack’s ear. “I love you.”_

_There was no answer, and Nathan felt the life drain out of Jack’s body. Nathan ignored the white-hot pain in his leg as another shot rang out, and he slumped over Jack’s still form, trying to protect the other man, even though he knew it was too late. “Jack!” Nathan howled._

_There was no response, and he shouted again. “JACK!”_

 

“Nathan!” Strong hands gripped his shoulders, shaking him hard. “Wake up, Nate.”

 

Jack’s face was inches from his own when Nathan opened gummy eyelids. “Jack?”

 

“Yeah, that’s right.” Jack’s hand cupped the back of Nathan’s head. “You okay?”

 

“Bad dream.” Nathan heard the hoarseness in his voice and realized belatedly that he’d been shouting. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

 

“SARAH woke me,” Jack corrected him. “She said you were distressed.” He paused, his eyes narrowing with concern. “Come on.”

 

“What?” Nathan allowed Jack to pull him to his feet and lead him out of the room. “Where are—” He stopped as he realized that Jack was leading him to the master bedroom.

 

“Lay down.” Jack nudged him towards the bed. “Go on.”

 

Nathan regarded Jack silently for a moment, taking in the shadows under Jack’s eyes, the white t-shirt and boxers that he’d apparently worn to bed. “You don’t need to do this.”

 

“Don’t argue with me.” Jack gave him a little push towards the bed. “Get into bed.”

 

Nathan realized that he didn’t have much of a choice, and he did as ordered, curling up on his side, stiffening when he felt Jack slide into bed behind him. “Easy,” Jack curled his arm around Nathan’s chest, tugging him closer.

 

“Jack, you don’t have to do this.”

 

“Sometimes it’s not about ‘have to,’” Jack said softly into Nathan’s ear. “Sometimes it’s about want to.”

 

Nathan allowed himself to relax, feeling Jack’s lean, warm body snugged up tight behind him. “I was dreaming about your—his death.”

 

“Figured that might have been it, with you screaming my name.”

 

“I wasn’t screaming,” Nathan protested.

 

Jack snorted. “You keep telling yourself that.”

 

“I couldn’t stop it.” Nathan couldn’t seem to prevent the words from spilling out. “You—he took a bullet for me, and he just…”

 

“I know.” Jack’s nose burrowed into Nathan’s neck. “But I’m right here.”

 

Nathan covered Jack’s hand with his own and closed his eyes. “Thanks.”

 

“Go to sleep. I’ll be here.”

 

In spite of the lingering emotions churning in his gut, and the memories he usually tried to keep buried fresh in his mind, Nathan quickly drifted off. He was comforted by the warm breath on his neck, the strong arm pulling him close, and when Nathan woke for the second time, their positions hadn’t changed.

 

Nathan lay with his eyes closed, wondering if he should try to extricate himself from Jack’s embrace before the other man woke up.

 

“Hey.” Jack’s hold tightened slightly. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Better,” Nathan admitted. He wanted to apologize, to make it clear that he didn’t expect Jack to feel the same way he did, and then Jack shifted.

 

His eyes widened as he felt Jack’s erection brush his ass. Apparently, Jack wasn’t completely uninterested.

 

Jack pulled away, tugging Nathan along with him so that Nathan was flat on his back, Jack looking down at him. Jack’s expression was thoughtful, blue eyes narrowed slightly as he ran careful fingers along Nathan’s jaw.

 

Nathan couldn’t help the smile that formed. “It took me six months to convince him to come to bed with me.”

 

His hand coming to rest over Nathan’s heart, Jack asked, “Yeah? Why that long?”

 

“Because he insisted that it was gratitude, and even after he stepped down as the primary on my protection detail, he wanted to wait, just to make sure.” Nathan reached up, feeling the stubble on Jack’s face, the smooth skin of his neck, the worn softness of his t-shirt. “I finally ambushed him.”

 

“You usually get your way?” Jack asked with a smirk.

 

Nathan snorted. “Not for a long time now.”

 

Jack frowned, then his expression softened. “Then maybe it’s time.”

 

For a moment, Nathan couldn’t believe what was happening, couldn’t believe that he had Jack again, that Jack was _warm_ and _alive_ and _kissing_ him such in a way that Nathan couldn’t doubt Jack’s sincerity and desire.

 

Jack broke the kiss, brow furrowed. “Nathan?”

 

Nathan realized that he hadn’t responded; he’d been too shocked. Unable to resist, not caring about morning breath, Nathan reached up, pulling Jack’s head down, meeting Jack’s lips with his own again, pulling Jack flush against his chest. The desire—the sheer _need_—rose up in him, and Nathan couldn’t control the desperation he felt.

 

He sensed the moment that Jack ceded control, and Nathan rolled them both over so that he was on top, covering Jack’s body with his own, indulging the longing he’d felt since the first moment he’d opened his eyes in this new world.

 

“I love you.” The words slipped out of Nathan’s mouth before thought better of them, and he kissed Jack again, open-mouthed, wanting to delay the moment that Jack would push him away.

 

Jack threaded his fingers through Nathan’s hair, pulling Nathan’s head back firmly, but gently enough to avoid causing pain. “I know.” His gaze intense, Jack gave Nathan’s head a little shake. “You think I don’t know how you feel?”

 

“No. I know you do.” Nathan saw the sincerity in Jack’s gaze, the warmth in his eyes.

 

A smile curled Jack’s lips. “Then if you can deal with the fact that it’s going to take me time, we’re good, Nathan.”

 

“I don’t think I can let you go again,” Nathan confessed. “So, as much as it pains me to say it, if this is just a one-off for you, tell me now.”

 

“I’m not the one night stand sort.” Nathan felt Jack’s warm hands sliding up and down his ribs, then around and up his back. “Give me a little time, Nathan, because I could fall for you so easily…”

 

His words trailed off as Nathan’s lips latched onto Jack’s neck, his tongue flicking out to caress his pulse point, and Jack groaned underneath him. Nathan had wondered if this Jack would have the same weaknesses as the other, and it appeared that he did.

 

Grasping, needy, Nathan slid his hand under the waistband of Jack’s boxer shorts, fingers closing around Jack’s cock, beginning a firm, easy rhythm that soon had Jack writhing underneath him.

 

“God, Nathan,” Jack whimpered.

 

“Is it good?” Nathan demanded, wanting to know, wanting the reassurance.

 

“Yeah.” Jack gasped and his fists curled into the sheets as Nathan mouthed his neck, his chest, his nipples. “Yeah. Please.”

 

Nathan increased the pace, kissing Jack at the same time, tongue tangling with Jack’s, nipping at Jack’s lower lip, free hand supporting his weight as Nathan used every trick he’d learned to make Jack lose all control. Jack stiffened, his fingers digging into Nathan’s hips, before he relaxed, coming over Nathan’s hand.

 

Panting, Nathan dropped down to the bed next to Jack, almost impossibly hard.

 

“Give me a second,” Jack groaned next to him. “I’ll return the favor.”

 

Nathan grinned, pleased with himself. “Don’t worry about it.”

 

“I’m not worried,” Jack replied. “But I don’t like to leave a partner unsatisfied.”

 

“Definitely not unsatisfied,” Nathan responded, but he didn’t protest when Jack rolled on top of him, or when Jack demonstrated that what he lacked in experience, he more than made up for in enthusiasm.

 

And when they both lay in sticky satisfaction, Nathan felt Jack’s finger intertwine with his in a gesture that was somehow more intimate than their earlier activities. “We should do this again sometime,” Jack said into the dim light of the room.

 

Nathan turned his head and pressed his lips to the smooth skin of Jack’s shoulder, emotions suddenly choking him, saying “yes” in the only way he could.

 

~~~~~

 

Dr. Paul Sueños watched his patients, monitoring heart rate and blood pressure carefully, frowning as he saw the telltale signs of distress. All three were part of a study on increasing the efficiency of REM sleep—something the DOD was extremely interested in, given that a success would safely decrease a soldier’s need for sleep.

 

His results so far were promising, enough so that he wasn’t going to lose funding this year, but today’s tests…

 

Paul typed furiously, trying to pinpoint what exactly had gone wrong before he pulled the plug. If this test didn’t work, he’d lose time and he couldn’t afford to run behind schedule.

 

“You can’t just come in here and expect to have everything handed to you!”

 

“Get your hands off of me!”

 

The raised voices just outside his lab door had Paul freezing, a frown on his face. He hated fighting, and the conflict already sounded ugly.

 

“Okay, gentlemen. You need to calm down. I’m going to ask both of you to leave the building for today.” Dr. Blake’s calm voice had Paul approaching the door and peeking out cautiously. “Is there something wrong, Dr. Sueños?” she asked, catching sight of him immediately.

 

“I just wondered if you needed any help,” he replied.

 

“No, I don’t think so,” Dr. Blake said. “We have some foreign electronic pulses that have everyone on edge, and are interfering with experiments.” She gave the other two men a hard look. “I’m about to call the sheriff in to help.

 

Paul hid his sigh of relief. An extraneous pulse would certainly explain why his most recent test had gone wrong. “Thank you, Dr. Blake. Just let me wake my subjects up, and I’ll send them home.”

 

She smiled, but he couldn’t see either humor or warmth in her eyes.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack had a hard time keeping the grin off of his face that morning—and he didn’t need to a mirror to know how goofy it probably was. Nathan’s soft, pleased smirk let Jack know that he wasn’t the only one feeling good.

 

He leaned back against the kitchen counter and sipped his coffee, watching Nathan as he read the day’s headlines that SARAH had put on the screen for him.

 

“What’s the plan for today?” Nathan asked, throwing Jack a grin that made his blood heat.

 

Jack shrugged. “I’m waiting to hear what your little program dug up.”

 

“‘Little program?’” Nathan’s incredulous tone was belied by the smile that played around his lips.

 

Jack took another sip of his coffee. “Must be little if it’s taking this long to come up with results.”

 

The hot anger that rose in Nathan’s eyes surprised Jack. “I’m doing the best I can!”

 

“Easy.” Jack frowned. “I was giving you a hard time, Nate.”

 

Nathan winced. “Sorry. Sorry, I just—”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Jack moved to lean over the back of the couch, near Nathan. “You doing okay?”

 

Nathan nodded. “I want to solve this, Jack. I want—”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Jack patted him on the shoulder just as the phone rang. “Carter here.”

 

“I need you up at Global immediately,” Allison said, her clipped tones clearly indicating a serious problem. “Whatever is going on is beginning to affect GD employees.”

 

“How bad are we talking?”

 

“Let’s just say that the paranoia and irritability have resulted in actual fighting over lab space and resources.”

 

“Where are you?” Jack demanded.

 

“I’ve sent most people home,” Allison admitted. “And I’m headed to my office now.”

 

Jack closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Stay put. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”

 

“How bad?” Nathan asked as soon as Jack had hung up, already rising from the couch and grabbing his jacket.

 

“Bad.” Jack grabbed his gun belt. “It’s starting to affect those at Global now. Give me a second.” He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Jo. “Jo, head up to Global and finish clearing it out. Fights are breaking out, and Allison is sending people home, but she needs backup.”

 

“I’m heading out now,” Jo promised. “I’ll meet you there.”

 

“Thanks, Jo.” Jack hung up and finished buckling his gun belt.

 

“Drop me off at Henry’s,” Nathan ordered. “I’ll be of more use analyzing the data.”

 

Jack nodded. “Hurry, if you can. I want this shut down, yesterday.” Nathan winced, and Jack sighed. “It’s not your fault, Nate. I’m glad you’re here, and I feel better knowing that you’re working on it.”

 

Nathan grunted. “I just wish that there was something I could do for you.”

 

“You’re doing it.” And because Jack could, he pressed his lips to Nathan’s in a hard kiss.

 

“Dad!”

 

Jack grinned, a hair away from Nathan’s lips; he tasted the coffee and sugar that had made up Nathan’s breakfast. “Sorry, Zo.”

 

He wasn’t sorry at all, Nathan’s smile told Jack he wasn’t apologetic either. “I’m not,” Nathan said, taking a step back to shoot Zoe a smug grin.

 

Zoe sniffed. “Yeah, you wouldn’t be.”

 

Jack had already seen the reluctant smile on her face, however, and he met his daughter’s eyes. He knew that she wasn’t upset, and that was enough for him. “Let’s go.”

 

When Jack dropped Nathan off, Henry came out to greet him, leaning against the driver’s door of the Jeep. “We have a lock on the location, Jack, but I’ve already checked it out. The experiment deals with power generation and electrical impulses, but it’s been going on for months.”

 

“So that’s not the cause of the problem.” Jack felt a keen disappointment but no surprise.

 

Henry shook his head. “I believe it contributed, but we need to find the true source in order to stop it. We’ll keep working on it, Jack.”

 

“Do that.”

 

Jack shifted the Jeep back into drive but stopped when Nathan put a hand through the open window to grip his shoulder. “Be careful, Jack.”

 

He brought his hand up to cover Nathan’s. “You, too. Don’t blow anything up.”

 

“I’ll do my best.”

 

Jack could see that Nathan wanted to kiss him and didn’t know how he would be received in front of Henry, and Jack found that he wasn’t entirely certain how he felt about it either.

 

“Hey, I gotta go,” Jack said awkwardly. “But I’ll see you later.”

 

Disappointment flashed across Nathan’s face, but he took a step back from the vehicle. “Of course,” he promised.

 

Jack winced, swore under his breath, and reached out of the window to grab Nathan’s wrist. With a quick tug, Jack pulled Nathan over and yanked his head down for a quick kiss. He took off as soon as Nathan was clear of the vehicle, determinedly _not_ looking at Henry.

 

On his way to Global, Jack’s mind raced. It was one thing to embark on a relationship in the privacy of the bunker, with no one to know other than Zoe and SARAH. It was something else to bring it out into the light of day, even though gossip was probably already flying through town. Gossip might have him sleeping with the new Nathan Stark, but Jack wasn’t sure he was ready to confirm it.

 

Pulling into an empty parking space in the Global visitor’s lot, Jack pushed all thoughts of Nathan out of his head. Right now, he needed to focus on the problem at hand; personal issues could wait.

 

Jack pulled his gun out of its holster as he entered the building; the lobby was deserted, and Jack took the stairs to Allison’s office two at a time. “Allison!” he called, panicked. “Allison!”

 

The door opened and Jack strode inside. “Where is everybody?”

 

“I pulled the alarm and ordered an evacuation of all non-essential personnel. I thought it would be safer.” She forced a smile. “Jo already escorted the worst troublemakers out.”

 

“Great. That’s a relief.” Jack slid into a seat. “Henry said that he’s pinpointed the source of the electrical impulses, but the experiment has been going on for months.”

 

“You don’t look like you got any sleep.” Allison slid into the chair next to him. “How are you feeling?”

 

“You mean, do I feel like I’m about ready to go around the bend?” Jack asked with a wry smile. “No. I’m fine. You?”

 

“Kevin had nightmares all last night.” Allison sighed. “I think whatever is happening is beginning to affect him. He can be sensitive to this sort of thing.”

 

“Nathan had nightmares,” Jack admitted. Strangely, out of all the people in town, Allison was the one he most wanted to talk with about the situation.

 

“So, it’s like that,” Allison quietly.

 

Jack frowned. “Like what?”

 

“I always wondered about you two,” she murmured. “I could never tell if you were fighting or flirting.”

 

“Fighting,” Jack insisted. “But it was fun sometimes.”

 

Allison opened her mouth to say something, then quickly closed it again, her expression a bit grim. “And now?”

 

“We aren’t fighting.” Jack wanted to tell her more, to be honest about the fact that he liked Nathan a lot, and he was beginning to look back on Stark in a new light. He wanted to apologize for being unable to say no to Nathan, even though he knew his decision wouldn’t have changed Nathan’s feelings.

 

He wanted to explore this new relationship and keep Allison’s friendship, but he didn’t think it was possible.

 

“Are you okay?” he finally asked. “With this?”

 

In response, Allison pressed her lips to Jack’s cheek. “Let’s go find Henry and get this figured out, Carter.”

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 

Nathan ran his hands though his hair, reading through the data once again. _Nothing_ made sense, which meant that they were missing something. “When did the disruptions start, Henry?”

 

“Three days ago,” Henry responded, straddling a stool, his dark eyes regarding Nathan with a steady gaze.

 

Nathan frowned. “Before or after the explosion in Fargo’s lab?”

 

“After.” Henry stood. “What are you thinking, Nathan?”

 

“What if the disruption somehow magnified the electronic pulse? Changed it?”

 

Henry put his hands over his face, rubbing his jaw. “It’s possible. The energy—” He stopped cold. “Give me a minute to check something.”

 

Nathan moved away from the computer, allowing Henry to take his seat just as Jack and Allison entered the garage.

 

“Henry, you got anything for us?” Jack asked.

 

Henry waved at him. “Give me a minute.”

 

“You doing okay?” Jack asked Nathan in a low voice.

 

Nathan scratched at his beard, trying to disguise the wave of tension that swept through him. “Yeah. I’m fine. I just want this done.”

 

“You and me both.”

 

Allison had gone to look over Henry’s shoulder, and Jack moved so that they were almost touching, and Nathan could feel the heat from Jack’s body.

 

“Allison cleared out GD for the time being, so at least I don’t have to worry about getting called up there to referee a fight between scientists for lab space,” Jack murmured.

 

“That’s something.” Nathan tried to focus on what Henry was doing, knowing that if he didn’t, he’d end up backing Jack against a wall and kissing him breathless.

 

Jack’s fingers brushed against the back of Nathan’s hand. “Thought we could go to Café Diem for dinner tonight. Zoe’s going to have dinner with Lucas.”

 

Nathan smiled. “Yeah, okay.” He glanced over at Jack. “Is it that you don’t want to be alone with me?”

 

“It’s because I don’t want to chase you off with my cooking,” Jack responded with a wry smile.

 

“Got it!” Henry called, looking up from the monitors with a grin. “Nathan was right. Fargo’s little mishap caused a spike in the power fluctuations with the electronic impulses we discovered earlier.”

 

“Okay.” Jack drew out the word slowly. “And?”

 

“The power fluctuations caused an echo effect when mixed with the electronic impulses and the electrostatic shield.” Henry’s fingers flew over the keyboard, and Nathan leaned in to see the computer model he’d created.

 

Allison frowned. “Wait a second. The shield went up for a Section Five project just prior Fargo’s experiment.”

 

Nathan didn’t even bother to ask; he had a feeling that Section Five was off limits. “So, we need to stop the echo.”

 

“Hang on,” Jack said. “Explain this to me.”

 

Nathan was used to explaining his work in terms that Jack would understand. “It’s like the sound inside of a bell. If you muffle the bell by disrupting the vibrations, you stop the sound.”

 

“We need to stop the sound, then. Can we lift the shield?” Jack pointed to the computer model. “Won’t that let the vibrations disperse?”

 

Allison shook her head. “I’m sorry, Carter, but there’s no way we can lift the shield for another 24 hours. It’s too dangerous. And before you ask, it’s a classified project.”

 

Jack ran a hand through his hair. “Allison—”

 

“I’m sorry.” Her firm tone told Nathan that Jack wasn’t going to get anywhere with his arguments. “We’ll have to find another way.”

 

“Twenty-four hours is too long,” Jack protested. “People are seeing things, there have already been violent outbursts… We can’t afford to wait.”

 

“We can’t afford not to.”

 

Nathan could see Jack nearly vibrating with frustration, probably because Allison’s refusal was putting the town at risk—and Jack took his responsibilities to his people very seriously.

 

“What if there was another way?” Henry asked. “We could treat the symptoms until we can open the shield and allow them to disperse. We’ll likely have to do that anyway.”

 

Jack turned and stalked away, tension written in every line of his body. “We need a faster solution,” he insisted.

 

“What if we changed the shield to absorb this particular kind of energy?” Nathan suggested. “I don’t know the specs, but surely we could manage to do that without risking your other project.”

 

Henry shook a finger in Nathan’s direction. “Yes! I think that will work. It’s going to take me another hour or so to reconfigure it. Once that’s done, the shield will absorb the signals in approximately three hours, and everyone will snap back to normal.”

 

“Good work,” Allison said. “I’m going to head back up to Global, try to clean up some of the messes that were left when I had to shut down.” She looked to Jack. “I trust you’ll keep a lid on things until we’re back to normal, Carter.”

 

She strode out of Henry’s garage, and Jack turned to Nathan. “Are you any good with a gun?”

 

“You want me to shoot people?” Nathan asked incredulously.

 

Jack grinned at him, blue eyes dancing with mischief. “I have tranquilizer guns.”

 

Nathan felt an answering smile pulling at his lips. “In that case, yes. I can generally hit what I aim at.”

 

“Then consider yourself deputized,” Jack announced. “You can keep me company while I do my rounds.”

 

~~~~~

 

Vincent poured two milkshakes for Zoe and Lucas. “How are you two feeling?”

 

“No homicidal rages yet,” Zoe replied cheerfully. “And school was canceled, which means I get another day to study for my calculus final.”

 

Lucas sucked at the mint-chip milkshake. “As long as they don’t call off the dance. That would suck.”

 

“They would just reschedule it,” Zoe replied confidently.

 

Vincent smiled. “If they don’t, you could always ask Henry to have another town-wide celebration.”

 

Zoe took a break from drinking her milkshake. “Have you heard about any new developments, Vince?”

 

“No, and I’m surprised your dad let you out of the bunker,” Vincent replied. “I figured he’d be too worried.”

 

Zoe flushed. “He doesn’t know that Principal Wallace decided that it was safer if everyone went home. And I will, just as soon as I finish my shake. It’s been a weird few days.”

 

“How’s Dr. Stark handling everything?” Vincent asked. The new Dr. Stark was certainly different, and he’d seemed highly interested in the sheriff. Judging from the slightly protective vibe that Sheriff Carter had been throwing off the last time they’d been in Café Diem together, Dr. Stark’s interest wasn’t entirely unwelcome.

 

Zoe shrugged in response to the question. “I don’t know. He seems okay, but he’s been having nightmares.”

 

Her mouth shut with an audible snap after that, as though she’d prevented herself from giving more information.

 

“Nightmares about what?” Lucas asked, oblivious to the undertone to Zoe’s statement. “Because I didn’t think that Dr. Stark would be scared of anything.”

 

Vincent leaned in close to catch her quiet response. “I think my dad’s death. I don’t know. It’s really not any of my business.”

 

Vincent could take the hint; for all of their bickering, Zoe was incredibly protective of the sheriff. Even if there was something going on between Carter and the new Dr. Stark, she wouldn’t say anything about it. Vincent respected that.

 

“Zoe!” Jo rushed into the café. “You and Lucas had better get home. Carter’s headed up to Global, and if he catches you here…”

 

“I’m gone,” Zoe responded. “Vince—”

 

“Two to-go cups coming right up,” he said, knowing what she wanted before the words left her mouth. “And you guys be careful. I’d hate to lose my best worker.”

 

Zoe smiled a little grimly. “Don’t worry about me, Vince. My dad’s the one out there with all the crazies.”

 

~~~~~

 

Jack had to admit that it was something of a turn-on to see Nathan with a PEP gun in a side holster. “So, who are we going to shoot?”

 

“No one, I hope,” Jack responded, leading the way out of Global Dynamics and back to the Jeep. “GD is clear right now, and Allison was supposed to send out a message for everyone to stay in their homes. If all goes well, Henry will have the echo cleared up in just a few hours, and everything will go back to normal.”

 

Nathan’s eyes narrowed skeptically. “‘If all goes well?’ How often does that happen?”

 

“Not very often,” Jack admitted. “But we’re going to hope for the best.”

 

Nathan smirked, and the familiar expression turned Jack on just a little bit more. “You always hope for the best, don’t you?”

 

Jack shrugged. “Yeah, I try to.”

 

A large, warm hand came to rest at the center of his back. “It’s good that one of us can.”

 

The radio screeched, and Jack tapped it. “This is Carter.”

 

“Sheriff, we have trouble at the library. Dr. Ives is insisting that he has to protect the books because someone is going to burn them.”

 

Jack groaned. “_Who_ is going to burn the books?”

 

“I don’t know!” Jo spat. “Just get down here, Carter! He says he’s going to protect the books with his life, and I’m pretty sure he has a gun.”

 

“Shit. I’m on my way. Carter out.” He turned to look at Nathan. “Maybe you should stay here.”

 

“Are you kidding?” Nathan snorted. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

 

Jack didn’t have time to argue with him. “Fine. Let’s move.”

 

He didn’t hesitate to use the lights or the siren on his way to the Eureka Public Library. “You know, this thing has really given me an inside look into the fears and anxieties of the people of Eureka, and it’s freaking me out.”

 

“How old is Dr. Ives?” Nathan asked.

 

Jack shook his head. “I don’t know, maybe about my age. Why?”

 

“Maybe he has a reason to fear censorship,” Nathan pointed out. “He might be from an area in the world where that’s a concern.”

 

Jack sighed. “He’s _from_ Eureka.”

 

“Then he’s probably read _Fahrenheit 451_ too many times,” Nathan joked.

 

Jack scowled, prompting Nathan to add, “Never mind.” Nathan braced himself on the dash of the Jeep as Jack spun into a parking space. “Okay, how do you want to do this, Sheriff?”

 

“Stay in the vehicle,” Jack ordered. “Jo will back me up.”

 

“No.” Nathan set his jaw stubbornly, a muscle ticking rapidly. “I’ll stay behind you, I’ll do whatever you tell me to, but I’m not leaving you.”

 

“I won’t be alone. I’ll have Jo.”

 

“I don’t care.” Nathan’s fierce stare had Jack backing off a bit. “And if you leave me behind, I’ll follow you anyway.”

 

Jack sighed and nodded. “Fine. But you do exactly what I say.”

 

“I promise.”

 

They got out of the Jeep quickly, Nathan at Jack’s heels, as they joined Jo in front of the library. Jo shot Nathan a look, but didn’t say anything other than, “Dr. Ives is inside, and he’s barricaded himself behind the circulation desk. When I tried to enter the building, he shot at me.”

 

Jack rubbed sweaty palms on his pants, his attention narrowing to the situation at hand. Oddly enough, he was far more used to weird science experiments than people with guns by now, especially in Eureka.

 

“Jo, go through the front door, but stay down. I don’t want to use deadly force, but if we have to, we will. If it’s him or us, I’d rather it be him, but let’s try for the tranq first.” Jack looked at Nathan. “We’re going around the back, and you’re going to—”

 

“Stay behind you.” Nathan pulled the PEP gun out of its holster. “Got it.”

 

Jack moved through the alley, hearing Nathan’s footsteps echoing softly behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, and Nathan nodded, PEP gun in hand. For a moment, Jack could almost believe he had another marshal behind him; Nathan looked the part, and he moved like someone who had been trained with weapons and self-defense.

 

Turning back to the steel door in front him, Jack tried the handle; it opened easily under his hand. He gave Nathan a hard look in warning, and moved inside as stealthily as possible.

 

Jo’s voice echoed back through the stacks. “Dr. Ives, no one’s going to burn the books. I need you to put the weapon down, and come out with your hands up.”

 

“I won’t let you take them! I won’t let you destroy knowledge!”

 

“We’re not going to destroy anything,” Jo replied. Jack could tell that his deputy was reaching the end of her patience. “But Dr. Ives, if you don’t put your weapon down, we’ll have to use force, and I don’t think you want that.”

 

“Stay back,” Jack hissed at Nathan, beginning to work his way towards the circulation desk. As he got closer, Dr. Ives was nowhere to be seen, and Jack began moving down the next aisle, trying to pinpoint the sound of Dr. Ives’ voice.

 

“Dr. Ives, I need you to come out, _now_.” Jo’s voice put her just inside the front door.

 

Dr. Ives didn’t respond, but Jack heard the squeak of a shoe just to his right, and he whirled just in time to see the shelf come crashing down on him.

 

“Jack!” Nathan’s voice rang through the library, and Jack heard the faint pop-whoosh of the PEP gun, followed closely by a soft cry.

 

His vision kept graying out as waves of pain hit him, but Jack couldn’t afford to lose consciousness, not when Nathan and Jo might need him. “Nate?”

 

“I’m right here.” There was a grunt, and Nathan said, “Help me with this, Deputy.”

 

“It’s too heavy, and we need to move the books first,” Jo’s voice replied. “I’m going to have to call for help.”

 

“Dr. Ives?” Jack asked, struggling to stay awake.

 

“He’s unconscious—tranq dart,” Nathan replied. “Just stay with me, Jack.”

 

Jack tried, and failed, to take a deep breath. “Can’t. Sorry.”

 

“No.” Nathan’s voice was desperate and angry. “Stay with me.”

 

But Jack felt himself spiral into darkness.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 

Nathan had followed Jack against orders; he’d been serious about not letting Jack out of his sight, but he had the sense not to allow Jack to know that. He was just far enough behind Jack not to see Dr. Ives until the shelf came crashing down on top of Jack.

 

His shout came too late, but it startled Ives enough so that he turned, giving Nathan a clear shot. Ives went down hard, but Nathan had eyes only for Jack. “Nate?”

 

“I’m right here.” Nathan tugged at the shelf and called Jo for help.

 

Nathan tried to tamp down on his panic as Jack’s voice faded, and his breathing sped up as fear got the better of him. Jo joined him in tossing books aside, but Nathan was the one to reach Jack first, fumbling for Jack’s pulse in his wrist. He found nothing, and Jack’s chest wasn’t moving.

 

“I don’t—he’s gone.” Nathan stumbled backwards until he ran into one of the shelves. It shook under his weight, but didn’t fall.

 

Jo shouldered past him, digging through the books to press her fingers to the pulse point under Jack’s jaw. “His pulse is strong and steady, Nate. He’s got a pretty serious head wound, but I think he’s going to be fine.”

 

“I couldn’t feel his pulse.” Nathan shook his head. “I lost him again. I can’t lose him again.”

 

“Nate!” She waved him over impatiently. “Get over here and help me. He’s _not_ dead.”

 

He heard her, but all he could see was blood—Jack’s blood. He could feel Jack slipping away from him all over again, and Nathan closed his eyes to shut out the sight of Jack’s lifeless body.

 

“Dr. Stark! Look at me.”

 

The weight of authority behind Jo’s words had Nathan doing just that—albeit reluctantly. “He’s gone.”

 

Jo’s eyes were fierce. “It’s the electronic pulses, or whatever they are.  They’re making you see things, so get your ass over here or you really will lose him.”

 

He moved, deciding to trust Jo rather than his own senses for the moment. “Jo—”

 

“Shut up. Carter is going to be fine.” Jo gave him a fierce look. “We’re over here!” she shouted as a group of people came stampeding into the library. “Give us some help.”

 

Nathan helped the others left the heavy bookshelf, and the paramedics were on either side of Jack a moment later. They placed him on a backboard, then lifted him onto a stretcher, shouting information about blood pressure and pulse rate. With several people giving every assurance that Jack was alive, Nathan finally allowed himself to believe it.

 

“I want to go with him.” He started following the stretcher, but Jo grabbed his arm. “Jo—”

 

“Help me get Ives to lockup,” Jo said. “I promise, I’ll get you up to Global ASAP, but I need your help now.”

 

Nathan glanced at the ambulance. “Deputy—”

 

“My car will get us up there minutes after the ambulance arrives. There’s nothing you can do for him right now.”

 

Nathan scowled, but reached down for Ives’ arm, pulling the doctor over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. His annoyance allowed him to push aside his fear. “The sooner we get him in the cell, the sooner I can get to Global.”

 

Jo held the library door open for him, and Nathan followed her across the street, grunting under the weight of Dr. Ives’ inert form. Nathan had at least six inches and fifty pounds on the man, but his shoulder and arm were both aching under the exertion.

 

“We’ll lock him up for now, and I’ll check on him later,” Jo said, opening the door.

 

Nathan dumped the man on the bed none too gently and felt a warm trickle down his arm. He suspected that he’d torn a few stitches. “Can we go now?”

 

Jo slammed the cell door shut. “Yeah, we’re good.”

 

He climbed into the passenger seat, and took a deep breath. Now that Jo had pointed out that he was likely being affected by the electronic signals, Nathan found that he could clamp down on his anxiety enough to prevent himself from being overwhelmed.

 

Nathan caught Jo staring at his hands; he was rubbing sweaty palms on the legs of his jeans. “You going to be okay?”

 

He nodded. “I hadn’t thought…” Trailing off, Nathan realized how stupid it had been for him not to consider the possibility that he was being affected by the same signals that had been disrupting others’ brains.

 

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Jo said quickly. “You’re not thinking straight; that’s understandable.”

 

Nathan shook his head. “There’s no room for error here, Deputy.”

 

“This is Eureka,” Jo replied. “There’s always an error somewhere.” She let the silence hang for a moment before beginning, “I know this isn’t my business, but Jack is like family.”

 

Nathan snorted. “You want to know what my intentions are?”

 

She shrugged. “Something like that.”

 

“That will depend on what Jack wants—but the last thing _I_ want is to hurt him.”

 

Jo nodded, seemingly satisfied, as they pulled up in front of Global Dynamics. “Good, but if you do—”

 

“I assume you know where to hide the bodies,” Nathan finished for her with a weak grin. “The Jack Carter I knew wasn’t nearly as happy as this one. I think you might have something to do with that.”

 

Jo smiled reluctantly, looking at Nathan sideways with an air that indicated she wasn’t going to be taken in by flattery. “Yeah, well, jury’s still out on you, Dr. Stark.”

 

He gave her a tight smile. “Don’t I know it.”

 

Nathan followed her to the infirmary, feeling his heart pound harder as they got closer. He knew it wasn’t rational; there was no reason to believe that Jack’s condition had worsened between being loaded into the ambulance and now. Jo had been as good as her word, and it appeared as though Jack had arrived at GD minutes before they had.

 

Doctors were still buzzing around Jack, and Nathan had to force himself to stay away, knowing that if he got any closer he’d be doing more harm than good. When the activity died down, Nathan approached cautiously, taking Jack’s hand in a firm grip.

 

“He’s going to be fine.”

 

Nathan started at Allison’s words. “Are you sure?”

 

“He has a concussion, as well as a broken collar bone and three cracked ribs. Luckily, the broken bones can be taken care of overnight with our skeletal regenerator.” Allison reached out to smooth Jack’s hair. “He’ll be out of commission for a week or so, but he’ll recover.”

 

He swallowed hard. “Good. Good, I’m glad.”

 

“You’re bleeding again.” Nathan followed her gaze to his arm, seeing the blood staining the sleeve. “Take your shirt off, and I’ll take care of it.”

 

Nathan did as he was told, his eyes never leaving Jack’s still form. Nathan hated that he wasn’t moving; he _knew_ Jack, and Jack was always on the move. “I should call Zoe,” he murmured as Allison approached.

 

“Jo will take care of it.” Allison wouldn’t meet his eyes as she removed the old, bloodstained bandages and began restitching the wound. “You need to give your arm a rest, you know.”

 

“I didn’t have another option.”

 

“Next time, find another option.” Allison pressed an automatic hypodermic to his neck.

 

He stiffened. “Ow. What the hell was that?”

 

“That was a mild sedative. Your pulse is too fast, and your blood pressure is too high.” Allison put the hypo away and handed him a clean scrub shirt. “Get dressed. I need to talk to Jo.”

 

Nathan pulled the shirt over his head slowly, wincing as the muscle in his arm twinged and ached. He could feel the sedative taking effect, the fear and anxiety that had overwhelmed him earlier receding. He grabbed a chair and sat down next to Jack, making sure that he could feel Jack’s pulse against his fingers, trying not to think about Allison’s chilly attitude.

 

Zoe dashed in fifteen minutes later, looking panicked. “Dad?”

 

“He’s going to be okay, Zoe,” Nathan assured her, rising from his chair slowly. “Allison said he has a concussion, cracked ribs and a broken collarbone, but he’ll be fine.”

 

She shook her head. “You know, he’s been injured more here in Eureka than when he worked with the Marshals.”

 

Nathan put a tentative hand on her shoulder. “That doesn’t comfort me.”

 

She choked on a laugh and leaned into him. “Yeah, I guess it wouldn’t.”

 

Nathan pulled her into a hug. “He scared me half to death.”

 

“You were there?”

 

Nathan briefly explained what had happened. “I should have moved faster. If I had—”

 

“Dad would have just sent you back if he’d seen you,” Zoe replied. “This isn’t your fault.”

 

He rubbed his eyes. “Sit down. I’ll go find another chair.”

 

“Nate—thanks.” Zoe wrapped her arms around him in another hug, and Nathan took a deep breath, reassured for the moment.

 

~~~~~

 

Jo had meant what she’d said about Nate hurting Carter in any way, but at the same time, she’d seen his reaction to the sheriff’s injuries. Nate’s raw pain and obvious panic told her everything she’d needed to know about his intentions.

 

As soon as Nate had headed to the infirmary, Jo made the call to Zoe. This was the part of the job she’d always hated; it was one of the reasons she didn’t really mind that Carter was still sheriff.

 

When Jo got the job, she wouldn’t be able to foist off family notifications on anyone else, and she was well aware that Carter was better at putting people at ease.

 

“What happened?” Zoe demanded, apparently reading Jo’s hesitation easily.

 

“There was an accident,” Jo began slowly. “Your dad was hit by a falling shelf. He’s going to be fine, but he’s banged up pretty badly, and he’s in the infirmary now.”

 

“Nate?”

 

Jo was a little surprised that Zoe had asked, but she answered readily. “He’s fine. He freaked out at first, probably because of those electronic pulses, but he’s calmer now.”

 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Zoe promised.

 

Jo hung up the phone, breathing a sigh of relief. She allowed herself a moment to regain her equilibrium and give thanks that Carter was going to be fine before heading out to face the next catastrophe.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack swam back to consciousness with difficulty, trying to take a deep breath and feeling a sharp pain in his side and shoulder. “Oh, man.”

 

“Jack?”

 

He blinked his eyes open. “Nate? You okay?”

 

“I’m not the one you should be worrying about,” Nathan replied. “You had a bookshelf fall on you.”

 

“I’ve had worse,” Jack groaned.

 

Nathan’s large hand settled over his forearm. “You scared me.”

 

“Sorry.” Jack tried to sit up, but Nathan gently held him in place. “Nathan—”

 

“Easy. Just give me a second to adjust the bed.”

 

Jack felt the bed move up until he was sitting half upright. “Zoe?”

 

“I sent her home a little while ago. It was getting late, and she was half asleep.”

 

“She has school tomorrow.” Jack let his head drop back onto the pillow. “Did Henry adjust the shield?”

 

“Yeah. He said the impulses have been absorbed. Everyone should be back to normal shortly.”

 

Jack snorted. “As normal as anyone ever gets in this town, anyway.”

 

Nathan chuckled, although Jack didn’t hear much humor in it. “Jo told me to let you know that she has everything under control, and not to worry about it.”

 

“Let me guess. I’m on medical leave.”

 

“Concussion, broken collarbone, cracked ribs.” Nathan raised his eyebrows. “You’ll live, but that’s nothing to sneeze at, Jack.” He smiled, and Jack caught a hint of vulnerability in his green eyes. “But you’ll have company. I tore a few stitches, so Allison ordered me to take it easy, too.”

 

Jack frowned. “Wait, you tore stitches? How?”

 

“Bookshelf,” Nathan replied, his expression still questioning. “Jack…”

 

“Hey, look.” Jack reached for Nathan’s hand. “What happened wasn’t a mistake, and I’m glad we’re going to have some down time.”

 

Nathan ran a hand down Jack’s arm. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah.” He grinned. “Although I kind of wish it wasn’t under these circumstances.”

 

Nathan nodded, clearly not convinced. “You should get some sleep.”

 

“And you?” Jack asked. “Have you eaten anything? Or slept?”

 

“I’m fine.” Nathan rose. “But I think I will get some coffee. Go back to sleep, Jack.”

 

Jack couldn’t help but feel that he was missing something, “Did Allison say anything about when I can go home?”

 

“Tomorrow, if you’re lucky.” Nathan squeezed his hand, then lowered the bed. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

 

Jack wanted to stay awake, to argue that he was fine, and that they needed to talk, but exhaustion and pain medication pulled him under quickly.

 

The next time he woke up, Allison stood next to his bed, entering something in a chart. “Hey.” The word came out as a harsh croak, and Jack accepted the glass of water from her gratefully. “Thanks. Where’s Nathan?”

 

“I sent him home,” Allison replied. “He needed the rest.”

 

Even while slightly fuzzy from the very good pain medication, Jack could tell that something was wrong. “What is it, Allison?”

 

“Nothing.” She forced a smile. “There’s nothing wrong with me that a little time won’t fix, Carter.”

 

“Is that all?” he asked, trying to keep it light.

 

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

 

“I know you will, but—” Jack hesitated. He was caught in an untenable position right now—the object of Nathan’s affections while Nathan was still the object of Allison’s. For a moment, Jack wished that Allison wasn’t still in love with Stark. Jack might have made his move on her earlier, or been able to disregard the guilt he felt when he thought about being with Nathan.

 

He finally sighed. “If it bothers you that much, I’ll tell Nathan. I can—”

 

“No.” Allison shook her head, not meeting his eyes. Jack could see how hard she was working to keep her feelings in check, and he wished things could be different. “I can see how much he cares about you. There was never anything like that between you and me.”

 

Although her tone was gentle as she delivered the blow, Jack still felt it. He had no idea whether she was lying to him now in order to give him some closure, or whether she was telling the truth.

 

Maybe he _was_ an idiot, and their relationship had never been more than one-sided.

 

“Yeah, sure.” He swallowed. “So, when can I get out of here?”

 

“Anytime you want. We ran the SRS, so you should have a shorter recovery time. That’s not a license to do whatever you want, though. The fractures are still healing, and will be for the next week.”

 

Jack raised a hand in the Boy Scout salute. “I promise I’ll take it easy.”

 

“Good. I’ll see you in a few days, Carter.”

 

Allison walked out of the infirmary without a backward glance, and Jack scrubbed his hands over his face, feeling the stubble that came from not shaving for a few days. There hadn’t been time.

 

He rose slowly and dressed even more slowly. Even without the fractured bones, Jack knew that he would have been moving like an old man. His torso was mottled with bruises that felt like they went bone-deep, and Jack finally gave up on his brown undershirt, settling for just pulling on the uniform shirt.

 

“Hey, Sheriff. Dr. Blake said you might need a ride home.” Fargo smiled nervously. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Fine, Fargo, for someone who got creamed by a bunch of library books.” Jack managed a smile. “But yeah, I need a ride home. Thanks.”

 

“My pleasure. I, uh, was hoping I could get a moment with Dr. Stark. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him since he came through the dimensional rift.”

 

Jack coughed to hide a laugh. “Is that what you’re calling it now?”

 

Fargo’s entire face lit up. “It’s fascinating, Sheriff. I could spend the next five years just analyzing the data.”

 

Jack couldn’t resist the opening. “Maybe that will keep you out of trouble.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 

Nathan woke suddenly, the nightmare leaving a scream lodged in his throat. He sucked in a deep breath, then another, and rose, searching for clean clothing almost blindly before stumbling to the bathroom.

 

The hot water cleared his head enough for Nathan to feel as though he was up for going to the GD infirmary to see Jack. He had just finished pulling on his boots when the door swung open to admit Jack and the young man who had been there when Nathan first showed up.

 

“Welcome home, Sheriff. Dr. Fargo, it’s good to see you again,” SARAH said as Jack stepped inside, Fargo on his heels.

 

Nathan smiled, relieved to see Jack up and moving around under his own power. “Hey. How are you?”

 

“I feel like I got hit by a truck, but I’m okay.” Jack settled himself slowly on the couch. Nathan watched carefully for signs that Jack might be hurt worse than he was letting on, but other than the slow movements, he appeared to be doing fine.

 

“Relax, I’m fine.” Jack grinned, although his wince as he shifted positions suggested he wasn’t telling the whole truth.

 

Fargo still hovered just inside the door, looking anxious. Nathan glanced over at him, wondering why Fargo hadn’t either left or come in to stay. Jack apparently noticed Fargo at the same time because he asked, “What do you need, Fargo?”

 

“I was wondering if I could talk to you, Dr. Stark.” Fargo aimed a nervous smile in Nathan’s direction. “The amount of data I collected from the experiment the other day—”

 

Nathan closed his eyes, feeling a stab of irritation so strong it was nearly irrational. “Is now really the best time, Dr. Fargo?”

 

He almost missed the hurt that flashed across Fargo’s face as the younger man took a step back, gesturing to the door. “No. I guess not. Sorry.”

 

“No, I’m sorry,” Nathan was quick to say. He owed Fargo more than his time—even if it had been accidental, Fargo had saved his life. The least he could do was to be polite. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”

 

“Give Nate a little time to recover, Fargo,” Jack advised. “It’s been a rough few days for both of us.”

 

“Of course.” Fargo shoved his glasses back up on his nose with a smile. “I’ll give you a call maybe Monday, Dr. Stark?”

 

Since it was more of a question than a statement, Nathan forced himself to smile. “Monday would be fine, Fargo.”

 

“Great! See you later.”

 

“Thanks for the lift,” Jack called out as Fargo left the bunker.

 

Nathan fidgeted under the intense gaze Jack turned on him. “You sure you’re okay, Nathan?” he finally asked. “You look tired.”

 

“Rough night.” Nathan tried to shrug off Jack’s concern, but he knew that Jack wouldn’t be easily dissuaded. “I’ve had nightmares for a while. They’ve been worse the last couple of days, but it’ll pass.”

 

Jack frowned, and Nathan could see the silent debate take place behind his eyes—did he push for more information or did he leave it alone? When Jack nodded, Nathan knew that the discussion might be tabled for now, but Jack wasn’t going to let him get away with excuses for long.

 

“You up for a day watching TV?” Jack asked.

 

“So, you’re really going to take it easy?” Nathan suspected that this Jack was a terrible patient, just as the Jack he’d known in that other universe had been.

 

Jack shrugged. “Hey, if you do, I will, too.”

 

“With you here, I have no real reason to be anywhere else.” Nathan saw the flicker of discomfort in Jack’s blue eyes, and he forced a smile. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

 

“Forget it.” Jack glanced up at the ceiling. “SARAH, put on a game, will you?”

 

“Which game would you like to watch first, Sheriff Carter?”

 

Jack glanced at Nathan with a grin. “Nate? Any preference?”

 

“Whatever you want.”

 

“I printed some of the articles you expressed an interest in, Dr. Stark,” SARAH informed him. “If you would prefer to read.”

 

“That would be great, SARAH. Thank you.”

 

As always, Nathan found comfort in science—cold, rational facts that held no emotion. The hidden meanings were there to be discovered through a kind of trial and error that wouldn’t break his heart.

 

With the paper copies, Nathan could make notes in the margins of the articles, underline and circle and pretend that he might have a chance at working on a project like one of these anytime in the near future.

 

If he tried hard enough, Nathan could pretend that this was another day spent with Jack on those rare occasions when they were together before Jack’s death. It was almost familiar—but in his own universe, he could have looked over, met Jack’s eyes, and instantly distracted him from whatever game happened to be on the TV.

 

“What are you working on?”

 

Jack’s quiet question broke Nathan’s concentration and his fantasy. “What?”

 

“What are you working on?” Jack repeated. “Anything interesting?”

 

Nathan shrugged. “I’m trying to judge the overlaps and gaps in my knowledge. There’s no sense trying to duplicate what’s already been done here, and there may be areas where my knowledge is greater.”

 

“Showing off that big brain of yours might do a lot towards getting the general to give you clearance sooner.” Jack smiled. “Save the world, and you convince them you’re not an evil mastermind.”

 

Nathan snorted but responded, “How do you know I’m not?”

 

“And seducing the local law enforcement official is part of your evil plan?”

 

He felt the heat rise in his face, and Nathan looked away, unable to hold Jack’s steady gaze.

 

“Okay, that might have been the wrong thing to say.” Jack sighed. “Look, about the other night…”

 

Nathan braced himself for the inevitable rejection. “Jack—”

 

“I’d be lying if I told you I’d never thought of doing that.”

 

Nathan blinked and might have replied, but the door opened and Zoe entered. She spotted Jack immediately, and a grin spread across her face. “Dad! How are you feeling?”

 

“Better.” Jack’s grin was openly delighted. “How was school?”

 

She shrugged. “You know, the usual. I got an A on my calculus test.”

 

“That’s my brilliant girl.” Jack gave her a one armed hug when she plopped down next to him, wincing a bit when it aggravated what Nathan knew were serious bruises. “Do you have homework tonight?”

 

“Nothing big.” Zoe jumped up. “You two stay put. I’m making dinner.”

 

“Should I be worried?” Jack called after her, craning his neck to look over the couch without getting up.

 

Zoe just stuck her tongue out at him, which made Jack laugh and Nathan wonder how the hell he got so lucky.

 

For a moment, he could almost believe that he belonged.

 

~~~~~

 

Fargo was still reeling a bit from Dr. Stark’s apology when he returned to Global Dynamics. Dr. Stark putting him off wasn’t that surprising, but his sincere regret had been; Fargo was a little disappointed not to have help with the data, but he could wait.

 

Maybe he could convince Dr. Blake to free up some resources to help him.

 

Dr. Blake’s office was dark when Fargo approached, and he frowned. It was unlike her to be unavailable in the middle of the day.

 

He raised his hand to knock but froze when he heard Dr. Stark’s voice. Fargo _knew_ that Dr. Stark was still with the sheriff, and his curiosity got the better of him. He tried the door handle, opening it slowly.

 

Fargo froze when he saw the holographic projection of Dr. Stark standing in the middle of the office. He recognized it as a recorded message after standing, stunned, for a moment. The message appeared to end, and Fargo caught a glimpse of movement. Dr. Blake was seated behind her desk, and she was staring at the hologram.

 

The message restarted, and Dr. Blake kept watching, tears streaming down her face. Fargo was tempted to announce his presence and offer comfort, but he knew it wouldn’t be welcome.

 

With a deep breath, Fargo eased back and closed the door as silently as possible. He was more than a little worried about Dr. Blake; he understood why Dr. Stark’s appearance would upset her, but she was acting strangely even under the circumstances.

 

Fargo leaned against the wall just outside of Dr. Blake’s office and wondered whether he should tell someone—and what he would tell them. It wasn’t like he had any hard scientific evidence that something was seriously wrong with Dr. Blake.

 

Besides, Fargo couldn’t think of anyone who might take him seriously.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack decided that Zoe must have been getting cooking lessons from Vincent, because dinner was not only edible but delicious. He watched as she preened a bit under his and Nathan’s praise, and he didn’t stop her when she announced that she was going to stay the night at Pilar’s.

 

From the sly look Zoe sent his way, Jack suspected that Zoe knew she’d interrupted something when she’d come home earlier, and that she expected them to get back to it.

 

Not that he was up for anything more than sleeping, but Jack suspected that was probably a good thing. It wouldn’t do to rush into things and risk Nathan being hurt.

 

After no more than a token protest, Jack allowed Nathan to finish the kitchen cleanup while he called Jo for an update. “Everything is fine, Carter,” Jo assured him over the phone. “Violent outbursts have gone way down, and no one has been hallucinating today. I think the worst might be over.”

 

“Good.” He allowed himself a sigh of relief. “No other problems?”

 

“No, and I’ll be happy to bring over some paperwork for you to catch up on, but no way are you coming to the station.” Jack could hear her grin, even if he couldn’t see it. “Allison already told me that you aren’t to come back to work before Monday, and even then, you’re supposed to take it easy.”

 

“I’m fine.” It was a half-hearted protest at best, however, and Jack suspected his deputy knew that. “But thanks for looking out for me.”

 

“Hey, I might want your job, but not because you got creamed by a bookcase.”

 

Jack snorted. “Thanks for the reminder, Jo.”

 

“And tell Nate good shooting from me,” Jo said. “He was the one who got Dr. Ives, you know.”

 

Jack hadn’t known for certain, although he’d suspected. “Will do. And I’ll be in town tomorrow. I wanted to stop by and see Henry anyway.”

 

“Fine. Just don’t let Allison catch you exerting yourself.”

 

“The only exertion I’ll be doing is eating Vince’s food,” Jack promised. “Talk to you later, Jo.”

 

“Bye, Carter.”

 

When Jack hung up, he turned to see Nathan watching him, his expression half-longing, half-thoughtful. “You okay?”

 

“Fine.” Nathan turned back to the article he’d been reading with the definitive air of someone who didn’t want to talk about whatever was bothering him.

 

If there was one thing living with a teenager had taught Jack, it was how to read those sorts of silences. He wasn’t always good at it, but he was getting better.

 

“Is there anything good on tonight, SARAH?” Jack asked.

 

“There are several sporting events broadcasting live, Sheriff,” SARAH replied helpfully. “As well as two movies you had expressed an interest in previously.”

 

“Let’s see the movies, SARAH.”

 

She put the feeds from both up on the screen, and Jack grinned when he saw that she’d recorded the newest Bond movie. “Uh, let’s go with the James Bond.”

 

“I’ve seen this one, Sheriff. I believe you’ll find it very entertaining. You, too, Dr. Stark.”

 

Nathan finally raised his head from the article he’d been staring at for the past fifteen minutes without turning the page. “I’m not sure what movie you’re talking about, SARAH.”

 

“Then you can watch it with me, and tell me exactly how different Hollywood is in your old universe.” Jack had to admit that it was strange, even by Eureka standards, to be talking about alternate universes so easily.

 

Nathan visibly hesitated, probably because watching the TV would mean moving from the kitchen table where he’d set up to take notes.

 

“Come on, Nate,” he cajoled. “Put the scientific articles down and relax for a while.”

 

Nathan rose slowly and sat down next to Jack on the couch, keeping a good twelve inches between them. Jack didn’t comment, instead asking SARAH to start the movie.

 

The move was full of the action and car chases that Jack enjoyed, and Nathan seemed to be caught up in the story, too. “They remade the Bond films?”

 

“Yeah, this guy got tapped a few years ago. This is the second one with him.” Jack shot Nathan a curious look. “You didn’t have a new Bond?”

 

“Not after Connery,” Nathan replied.

 

Jack grinned. “Well, I just found a large gap in your knowledge.”

 

“There are probably a lot of gaps in my knowledge, at least where this sort of thing is concerned.” Nathan seemed to be relaxing by increments, lost in the movie and the tale being spun. “I remember this from the books, though.”

 

“_You_ read Ian Fleming?”

 

Nathan shrugged uncomfortably. “I didn’t have much to do over the last few years when I wasn’t in my lab.”

 

“But Fleming? That’s about as far away from scientific literature as you can get.” Nathan raised an eyebrow, and Jack rolled his eyes. “Okay, point taken.”

 

“Sometimes, I wanted an escape.” Nathan turned back to the screen, and Jack turned his attention back to the movie, still acutely aware of Nathan’s warm bulk.

 

When the movie ended, Jack couldn’t hide his yawn, and Nathan rose. “Come on, Jack. I think it’s time for you to be in bed.”

 

“You going to join me?”

 

Nathan helped him up. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

 

“Just to sleep, Nate. I don’t think I’m up to much tonight.”

 

“I still don’t think that’s a good idea.”

 

Jack frowned. “You’re still having nightmares.”

 

“Jack—”

 

“Don’t be an idiot,” Jack said impatiently. “If I didn’t make it clear earlier, I want you there.”

 

Nathan’s expression softened, and he nodded. “Okay.”

 

“Good.” Jack felt Nathan’s presence acutely as the other man followed him up the stairs and into Jack’s room. The only other person he’d shared this space with had been Allison, and that had been completely innocent.

 

What he’d done with Nathan hadn’t been.

 

Nathan hovered just inside the door uncertainly, and Jack decided that the best thing he could do was to ignore him and get undressed. Jack pulled on a pair of track pants but didn’t bother with a t-shirt since it was too much trouble to get one on.

 

“Jack…” The word came out as a hiss, and Nathan moved into his personal space, tracing the outlines of the bruises with tender fingers.

 

Jack captured Nathan’s fingers with his own. “I’m okay.”

 

“I thought I’d lost you.” It sounded like a confession, and Nathan’s other hand cupped Jack’s cheek. “When I called you, and you didn’t answer…”

 

“I’m okay,” Jack repeated, turning his head to press a kiss to the palm of Nathan’s hand. “I’m going to finish getting ready for bed, okay?”

 

Nathan nodded, but when they had both finished their nightly routine and were sitting on opposite sides of the bed, Jack patted the space next to him. “Come on, Nate. You need to sleep.”

 

Slowly, ever so slowly, Nathan eased himself into Jack’s space, a hand resting on Jack’s breastbone. Jack put his hand over Nathan’s and slipped into sleep.

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 

As both go-to guy in Eureka, and one of its best scientific minds, Henry had the sort of clearance that allowed him to know exactly which project it was that had prevented Allison from pulling down the electrostatic shield. In Henry’s opinion, leaving the shield in place was a calculated risk that might pay off, assuming that everyone inside Eureka bounced back the way they’d hoped.

 

Henry was beginning to suspect that not everyone had.

 

The ringing of the phone startled him from his thoughts, and Henry picked up absentmindedly. “Henry Deacon.”

 

“Dr. Deacon?” Fargo’s voice held an edge of nerves. “Tara Banks was found dead this morning.”

 

“Where? And who found her?”

 

“The neighbor. She’s been checking on Dr. Banks every day.” Fargo cleared his throat. “It appears to be a suicide, but—”

 

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” Henry promised. “Make sure no one disturbs the scene.” With the trouble they’d had recently, Henry wasn’t about to take any chances. Rising from his desk, Henry took a last swig of coffee before he switched the label on his coveralls from “engineer” to “coroner”.

 

Jo was waiting for him when Henry pulled up in front of the Banks’ house. “Hey, Jo. Have you been inside?”

 

She nodded. “Yeah. It seems pretty cut and dried, Henry.”

 

“Well, let’s take a look.” Henry entered the house, immediately smelling the tinge of death.

 

A picture of Tara with her son, Owen, dominated the mantelpiece, and Henry winced at the reminder that there were some illnesses that even Eureka’s science couldn’t cure.

 

Fargo stood guard at the door to the bathroom, looking a little green around the gills. “I didn’t let anyone in other than Jo,” he assured Henry.

“Where’s Dr. Blake?” Henry had assumed that she would be the first call, after the sheriff’s office. He knew that Jack had been ordered to take it easy, but he couldn’t understand why Fargo would be here rather than Allison.

 

“She’s not answering her phone.” Fargo shifted from foot to foot, and Henry realized that what he’d thought was anxiety over the dead body was actually worry.

 

Henry sighed. “I’ll take care of Dr. Banks first, then we’ll see about Allison.”

 

The pill bottles on the floor and the slight froth that had dried on her lips told Henry nearly all he needed to know. “I imagine the autopsy will confirm suicide,” he said with a heavy sigh. “Have you called Jack yet, Jo?”

 

“Not yet,” she replied. “I wanted to get your opinion first.”

 

“I think you can call him, tell him that my preliminary finding is suicide.” Henry shook his head. “She was doing so much better. I thought she was finally beginning to adjust to losing Owen.”

 

“Ms. Carlisle said that she’d been coming by every day to check on her,” Fargo inserted. “And she said that Dr. Banks _had_ been doing better, but that Dr. Banks didn’t answer the door yesterday. That’s why she called this morning when Dr. Banks was nowhere to be seen.”

 

Henry nodded. “She’s been dead about 48 hours, so that makes sense.” He waved to the paramedics from Global. “Come on in. I’ll perform the autopsy at GD.”

 

“Of course, Dr. Deacon,” one of the men said, and Henry quickly got out of their way, leading Jo and Fargo outside.

 

Jo tucked her thumbs into her belt loops, looking somber. “I’ll go by the bunker. I promised Carter I’d bring some paperwork by anyway.”

 

“Try to keep him at home,” Henry instructed, knowing what a long shot that would be.

 

Jo snorted. “Maybe Nate will sit on him.”

 

“Now there’s a visual I didn’t need,” Henry joked. “I’ll let you know when I have some results, Jo.”

 

Henry didn’t think that he’d let on to how worried he was about Allison. Although Henry couldn’t put his finger on why, he couldn’t quite shake the instinct that told him that something was very wrong.

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan slid out of bed, trying not to wake a still-sleeping Jack. They had moved apart during the night, but Jack’s hand had been on Nathan’s arm, clutching slightly, as though he hadn’t wanted to let go, even in sleep.

 

Pulling on whatever clothing came to hand, Nathan slipped out of Jack’s bedroom, not wanting to disturb him.

 

“Doing the walk of shame?”

 

Nathan stiffened when he heard Zoe’s whisper behind him, and he turned to face her. “Zoe…”

 

She grinned. “It’s okay, Nate. I figured it out when I saw your door open and your bed empty.”

 

He had no idea how to respond; Nathan had had very little experience with kids, although he liked them in theory. He certainly enjoyed Zoe’s company, but he had no idea how she felt about him sleeping with her father.

 

“I don’t want to wake your dad up,” he said.

 

She nodded, a serious light in her eyes. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

 

Nathan had already poured two cups of coffee and grabbed a pastry when Zoe joined him. She took the second mug with a grin. “You know Dad hates it when I drink coffee.”

 

Nathan shrugged. “I trust you won’t tell him.”

 

“I plan on being gone by the time he gets up. I just came by to pick up the flash drive I left,” Zoe affirmed. “The painkillers usually knock him out pretty good.”

 

“They can do that,” Nathan replied.

 

The silence hung between them as Zoe stared at him steadily. Nathan hated to admit it, but he lost his nerve, not wanting to risk the tentative truce between them.

 

“Before you ask, I’m okay with it,” Zoe blurted out. “Just as long as I don’t have to see or hear you two having sex.”

 

He felt the smile tug at his lips. “I think it might scar me more than you.”

 

“Actually, my dad would be the one who was the most embarrassed,” Zoe replied with an impish grin. “I know how you feel about him,” she added with a soft smile. “It’s cool.”

 

“Okay.” Nathan took a deep breath and repeated. “Okay. That’s good.”

 

“So, how many boyfriends have you had?” Zoe asked.

 

Nathan hesitated, knowing that his choices were to either not answer or to answer truthfully; even if Zoe couldn’t double check, he felt he ought to be honest. “Just your father. I had a couple of girlfriends in college, and dated casually in grad school, but your dad was something different.”

 

Zoe propped her chin on her hands. “So, what? Dad was your one true love?”

 

Nathan laughed self-consciously. “I guess you could say that.”

 

Zoe grinned. “Then it’s good you’re here.”

 

“What about your dad?”

 

“Mostly he’s been moping after Allison,” Zoe admitted. “But he’s been a lot less mopey with you around.”

 

“Good to know.”

 

SARAH suddenly announced. “Deputy Lupo is at the door. Should I alert the sheriff?”

 

Nathan exchanged a look with Zoe and then said, “No, just go ahead and let her in, SARAH. I don’t want to wake him up.”

 

Jo walked into the bunker, looking momentarily disconcerted when she saw Nathan and Zoe, but no Jack. “Jack’s still sleeping,” Nathan explained. “I’d like to keep it that way.”

 

Jo smiled. “I’m behind you all the way, and if you can keep him from coming in, that would be appreciated.”

 

“What happened?” Zoe demanded.

 

“Dr. Banks committed suicide,” Jo replied after a moment’s hesitation. “Dr. Deacon’s doing the autopsy, so nothing official yet, but that’s what it looks like.”

 

Nathan saw Zoe wince, and he asked, “Do you know her?”

 

“Her son Owen was a year behind me in school,” Zoe explained. “He died a few months ago from some kind of cancer, and Dr. Banks didn’t take it well.”

 

“She was doing better,” Jo inserted. “At least from what her neighbor said. This was a surprise.”

 

“You’re doing a full investigation?” Nathan inquired.

 

Jo nodded. “Although, once Henry’s done with the autopsy, I doubt I’ll be able to do much more.” She handed Nathan the sheaf of papers she’d been carrying. “I brought these by for Carter.”

 

“I’ll see that he gets them,” Nathan promised.

 

“I’ve got to get to school.” Zoe waved goodbye to both of them, her earlier cheer somewhat dimmed by the news.

 

Nathan stared at Jo, and she stared back. “I should get going,” Jo announced. “I’ll be in touch if Carter asks.”

 

“Sure.” Nathan watched her leave and went back to his coffee, wincing when he found it no more than lukewarm. “More coffee, SARAH?”

 

“Of course, Dr. Stark. Your orders should arrive today.”

 

Nathan smiled a little wistfully. He could use a good, hard run at the moment, but there was no way he was going without Jack, even if there was no danger. “Thank you, SARAH.”

 

He was just finishing up his second pastry—he hadn’t had dinner the previous day—when Jack limped slowly downstairs.

 

“Hey,” Nathan said with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Still sore, but better,” Jack replied. “Was it my imagination, or did I hear the door?”

 

“SARAH wasn’t supposed to disturb you,” Nathan replied.

 

“I did not disturb him,” SARAH protested, sounding affronted.

 

Jack grinned. “She didn’t. I was already awake.”

 

Nathan smirked. “Sorry, SARAH. I didn’t mean to disparage your caretaking abilities.”

 

“I forgive you, Dr. Stark.” The computerized voice still sounded a little huffy, and Nathan shared a grin with Jack.

 

Nathan directed his voice to the ceiling, even though he knew he didn’t need to. “Thank you.”

 

Jack smirked. “You know, I really should take a shower, and we in Eureka believe in conservation.”

 

Nathan hated to deny Jack anything, but he didn’t want Jack hurt worse. “I don’t—”

 

“First off, you’re not going to hurt me,” Jack said, cutting him off. “And second, I need you to know that this isn’t a game for me, Nate. I know what I’m doing.”

 

Nathan shook his head. “If this is pity—”

 

Jack sat down next to him. “I haven’t had much luck on the relationship front recently. Allison was always more interested in the other Stark than she was in me, and Stark thought I was too stupid to live most of the time. There were a couple of casual dates here and there, but nothing more than that.”

 

“You can’t be serious about this,” Nathan objected. “About us. You’ve said that you hated the other Stark—”

 

“Hated might be too strong a word,” Jack interrupted. “I told you, I was attracted.”

 

“And me?” Nathan asked, his voice hoarse.

 

“With you, there are all these opportunities I never even considered.” Jack leaned in, and Nathan found it impossible to doubt the sincerity in Jack’s blue eyes. “I think we could be good together, Nate.”

 

Nathan nodded slowly. He _knew_ they could be good together, and this was a chance he couldn’t pass up.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack allowed himself to be distracted while in the shower, knowing full well that Jo would have insisted on seeing him if it had been an urgent matter requiring his attention.

 

Besides, right now Nathan’s needs were more important.

 

Nathan had insisted that Jack stay upright, braced between the tile and Nathan’s firm grip on his hips, Nathan’s mouth around his cock. The heat from the water and Nathan’s hands and mouth all seemed to blend together in one endless wave of pleasure.

 

Jack gasped as Nathan cupped his balls, expertly teasing him until he hissed a warning that Nathan ignored. Nathan swallowed expertly, rising to rinse his mouth out in the stream from the shower before Jack pulled him into a kiss.

 

Jack allowed Nathan to support him, trusting the other man to hold him in place as he jerked Nathan off. For the moment, there was only warm, slick skin and Nathan’s moans and the knowledge that this was more than sex, more than this moment.

 

If he paused to think about it, it kind of blew Jack’s mind.

 

Nathan came with a gasp, eyes closed, sagging against Jack and trapping him between the shower stall and a hard, muscular chest. Jack allowed the water to run for another few minutes, sluicing both of them off, before he shut it off.

 

“Good?” Nathan asked, after a pause.

 

The cooler air was already chilling Jack’s skin, and he grunted. “Yeah.” He waited a beat to finish catching his breath before adding, “Me speechless? Always a good sign after sex.”

 

Nathan gave him a wolfish grin. “So, does that mean you’re ready for a nap?”

 

Jack rolled his eyes and slipped past Nathan, grabbing his towel and tossing a second in Nathan’s direction. “No, that means I’m ready for you to pass along Jo’s message.”

 

Nathan rubbed his hair dry. “A Dr. Banks committed suicide,” he said succinctly, sounding a little put out. “Henry will be performing the autopsy, but all parties agree that’s the most likely conclusion.”

 

Jack cursed. “Damn. I thought Tara was doing better.”

 

“You knew her?”

 

“Yeah, we met at a couple parent things at Tesla.” Jack felt the twisting in his stomach that always accompanied a senseless death. “She lost her son.”

 

“Zoe told me,” Nathan said, throwing his towel over the rack and beginning to search for clean clothes. “I’m sorry about that.”

 

“I’ll need to head into Global,” Jack said. “And before you say it, I’ll take it easy, but it’s my job to look into these things.”

 

Nathan appeared skeptical. “Uh huh. And that’s why you have a deputy, who can take over your job when you’re out of commission.”

 

“I’m not out of commission,” Jack protested. “Just a little sore. Look, I’ll check in with Allison at GD, then meet you at Café Diem for lunch. Maybe this afternoon, I can take you past Stark’s old labs off-site.”

 

Nathan frowned. “You sure you don’t want me to go to Global with you?”

 

“Probably better not to. Your conference with Mansfield threw Allison for a loop, and I’d prefer to stay on Allison’s good side.” Jack still remembered the chill in her words, and the way she’d told him that there hadn’t been anything between them, not like between him and Nate.

 

And in all honesty, Jack couldn’t quite believe that Nathan had been here only days, rather than weeks or months. He had a sneaking suspicion that in a few more days, or a few more weeks, Jack wouldn’t be able to imagine his life without him. It wouldn’t be long after that before people started thinking of the two of them in the same breath—Jack and Nate, Nate and Jack.

 

He’d been in enough serious relationships to know that’s what he was in with Nathan, and he was entirely okay with that—if only because the sex was damn good.

 

Nathan crossed his arms over his still-bare chest. “I promise, I will tie you to the bed if you try to do anything strenuous.”

 

Jack found himself growing aroused again—something that hadn’t happened since he was a teenager. “Really? That’s a promise?”

 

“That’s supposed to be a stick, not a carrot, Sheriff.”

 

Jack just grinned. “Then you shouldn’t make promises like that.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 

Zane was relieved to finally be back in his lab, activating his equipment and starting his experiments up again. He was working on a new version of Fargo’s mental mouse—this time intended to control drones like Martha—when Fargo showed up in his lab.

 

He and Fargo didn’t always see eye to eye, but Zane knew enough to worry when Fargo was freaked out. “What’s wrong?”

 

“It’s Dr. Blake,” Fargo said in a rush. “She locked herself in her office yesterday afternoon to watch the holographic message Dr. Stark left her. She’s not there now, and she’s not answering her phone. And Tara Banks killed herself two days ago.”

 

Zane blinked, trying to figure out how Dr. Banks’ suicide related to the rest of it. “Okay, so you think Dr. Blake is a suicide risk?”

 

“I don’t know,” Fargo replied miserably. “It’s just—Dr. Blake has been acting really weird, and with everything else that’s been going on, I’m worried.”

 

Zane was a little worried himself. “Let me lock things up, then I’ll check. Maybe she just doesn’t want to talk to you,” he added with a smirk, grinning as Fargo bristled.

 

“I’m her assistant! It doesn’t have anything to do with me.”

 

“So you say,” Zane replied agreeably, frowning as he noticed that the drawer with his prototypes was ajar. The first thing he’d done upon entering the lab was to check his computer, and there had been a few administrative matters that kept him busy for a good part of the morning. He hadn’t touched the prototypes.

 

Zane swore as he opened the small, padded box. One of the devices was missing, leaving only an empty space behind. “We’ve got a problem. Someone stole one of the new prototypes.”

 

Fargo frowned. “We don’t have time for that right now.”

 

“Are you kidding?” Zane demanded. “We’re talking about a multi-million dollar piece of equipment that controls killer drones! We _have_ to find it, or we could end up with a war on our hands.”

 

Fargo shoved his glasses up on his nose. “We should talk to the sheriff, then.”

 

Zane considered it. “Sheriff Carter is on medical leave, and Jo would kill me if I didn’t talk to her first under the circumstances. I’ll call her, you try to find Dr. Blake.”

 

He dialed Jo’s number as Fargo jogged out of the lab, frowning when he received the message, “Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try again.”

 

Staring at his phone, Zane muttered, “What the hell is going on?”

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan had Jack drop him in town; Henry wasn’t at his shop, and Nathan didn’t see the point in sitting around waiting for him. Instead, he took the opportunity to wander Eureka and get a better idea of the layout of the town. Copernicus Park was beautiful, with bronze statues and a well-kept fountain.

 

Everything in this town was pristine, state of the art, and moments like this, Nathan wanted to pinch himself.

 

A cool breeze ruffled his hair, and Nathan tipped his head back to watch the puffy clouds scudding across the sky.

 

“Nathan?”

 

He turned to see Allison approaching him, and he had to force a smile to his lips. “Dr. Blake. How are you?”

 

“I’m well.” She came right up to him, invading his personal space, placing a hand on his forearm. “I thought we could get a cup of coffee.”

 

Nathan racked his brain for a way to gracefully decline, but couldn’t think of one. The best he could hope for was to have Jack show up at Café Diem while he was with her. “If you’d like.”

 

He didn’t have to come up with topics of conversation; Allison began filling him in on a variety of people Nathan had never heard of, who were working on projects that he was relatively certain were above his clearance level. By the time they reached Café Diem, Nathan realized that she was talking to him as though he was the _other_ Stark.

 

The entire situation had him on a state of high alert; every instinct he had was telling him that something was very, very wrong.

 

When they entered the café, Nathan caught Vincent’s eye, hoping that his panic would come through loud and clear. Vincent frowned, but he bustled over to their table as soon as they’d seated themselves in a corner booth.

 

“What can I get you two?” he asked, sounding uncertain but determined to be polite.

 

“I’d like a cup of coffee, and a raspberry Danish,” Allison replied.

 

“Dr. Stark?”

 

Allison’s warm gaze made Nathan hesitate to say anything, or to make an excuse for why he had to leave. “Just coffee. I’m supposed to be meeting Jack here for lunch shortly.”

 

“I’m sure he’s busy this afternoon,” Allison put in. “This will be a good opportunity for us to get to know each other better.”

 

“Of course,” Nathan said tightly, hoping that his polite smile didn’t slip. “I don’t mind waiting for him here.”

 

Allison appeared not to hear him, instead saying, “Thank you, Vincent,” in such a way as made it clear he should leave them alone.

 

Nathan shifted uneasily in his chair as Allison picked up from where she left off. “Kevin is doing really well.”

 

The way she said it suggested she wanted a reply, so Nathan nodded. “That’s great. How old is he?”

 

“Twelve,” Allison replied in a way that suggested she wasn’t pleased he didn’t know. “Maybe you could come over for dinner some night to say hello.”

 

Nathan frowned. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Wouldn’t that confuse him?”

 

“All he needs to know is that you’re back,” Allison said reproachfully.

 

Henry strolled up to the table, his expression set in a pleasant smile, but Nathan could see the tension in the way he held himself. “Nathan, could I have a word?”

 

He rose, hoping that his speed wasn’t too obvious. “Of course. Excuse me, Allison.”

 

Henry led him outside, and Nathan heaved a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

 

“Vincent called me, but I wanted to talk to you anyway.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“I have reason to believe that the effects from the pulse haven’t disappeared entirely,” Henry said. “One of the scientists from Global killed herself yesterday.”

 

Nathan frowned, running a hand through his hair. “So I heard. I’m sorry, but I don’t see what this has to do with me.”

 

“Grief can change a person’s brain chemistry,” Henry explained quietly. “Dr. Banks lost her son not too long ago.”

 

Nathan frowned. “You’re worried about Allison.”

 

“And you.” Henry’s expression was sympathetic. “The Jack Carter you knew is dead, and that grief isn’t completely gone.”

 

Nathan hesitated before looking into Henry’s compassionate eyes. “I’ve been having nightmares, bad ones. Being with Jack helps, but you’re right. It isn’t the same.”

 

“You aren’t the only one who has lost someone in the past six months,” Henry reminded him.

 

For a moment, Nathan couldn’t quite figure out to whom Henry was referring, and then he remembered Allison, and her loss, and the slightly odd behavior she’d been exhibiting. “Dr. Blake.”

 

Henry nodded. “Try to keep her calm. If you need help, call me, or have Vincent do it.”

 

Nathan didn’t much like the sound of that, but he nodded reluctantly. “And when Jack shows up?”

 

“Was he supposed to meet you?”

 

“We were supposed to meet for lunch, and—” Nathan glanced at his watch. “He should have been here by now.”

 

Henry’s brow furrowed in concern. “I’ll check on him.”

 

“Thanks.” Nathan sighed. “I guess I’ll order lunch.”

 

~~~~~

 

Jack followed the deserted hallway, glancing at the numbers labeling the labs. He was in the bowels of Section 4 now, and there were a lot of empty rooms. In fact, he was beginning to wonder if he’d been mistaken about where Allison had asked to meet him.

 

The lab where Allison had asked him to meet her was dark, and he flipped on the lights, calling out her name. “Allison?” he called again, checking his watch to be sure he wasn’t either so early that she wouldn’t be there, or so late that she would have given up on him.

 

He was right on time for a change, but if she didn’t arrive soon, Jack was going to be late for his lunch with Nathan.

 

Walking further into the room, Jack shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He was supposed to be off duty, and he’d dressed accordingly, but that sixth sense that every law enforcement officer developed was telling him that something was very wrong.

 

Jack pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket to call Allison, frowning when it chimed, the screen flashing the message: “Call failed.”

 

He tried calling Henry next, then SARAH, and finally Zoe, before giving up and shoving his phone back in his pocket. When he approached the door to the lab, it remained closed, and no matter what he tried, Jack couldn’t find a way to force it open. “Crap.”

 

That one word seemed to echo in the empty space, and Jack would have liked to believe that Allison would show up any minute and let him out, but he couldn’t. She had asked him to come, she’d told Jack where to meet her, and now he was locked in a room where his phone refused to work.

 

This did not bode well for him.

 

Telling himself not to panic, Jack began searching the lab for a way to contact someone—preferably Henry or SARAH. Henry would have some idea of what to do, and his house would find a way to contact either Henry or Fargo. He would probably have called Nathan if the other man had a cell phone. Jack made a mental note to set him up with one.

 

The intercom system to the right of the lab door was unresponsive, the door refused to budge so much as an inch, and his cell phone still wasn’t working. Jack was beginning to wonder if he’d be able to get out at all, or even let someone know he was stuck.

 

When he looked around, and the vent for the air duct caught his eye, Jack sighed, and he rubbed his sore ribs reflexively.

 

“Ah, hell,” Jack muttered. “This is not going to be fun.”

 

Jack gave thanks that he always carried a pocketknife with him, even if he’d gone unarmed. He took out the screws to the vent with the blade, tucked it back in his pocket, then boosted himself into the small space with a pained grunt.

 

He began dragging himself through the air ducts on his hands and knees, wincing at the strain it put on his ribs and collarbone, not to mention his knees.

 

It was official—this was going to suck.

 

~~~~~

 

On his way back to Global, Henry had left a message for Jack with SARAH, and had called Jo to alert her to Jack’s disappearance. There was nothing more he could do to find the missing sheriff, however, and so he had refocused on the autopsy data from Tara Banks.

 

Henry typed rapidly, trying to make sense of the data he’d gathered from Tara’s autopsy. He’d input everything he had before meeting with Nathan and giving the other man a heads up as to the potential problems.

 

Now, it appeared as though Tara’s amygdala was larger than it ought to be, and her blood work evidenced heightened levels of adrenalin and cortisol, suggesting that she had been under a great deal of stress when she died. Henry rubbed his jaw, considering the evidence before him.

 

What he had was evidence that the emotion centers had been damaged, completely altering her brain chemistry and thought processes.

 

Henry pulled out his phone and began to dial, getting halfway through Allison’s number when he realized that he didn’t have service. “That can’t be good,” he muttered.

 

He rose quickly, but before he could leave his lab, Zane and Fargo dashed inside. “We have a problem,” Fargo blurted out.

 

“Cell phones are down inside Global,” Henry said. “Have you two tried to call anyone?”

 

Zane nodded. “I tried to call Jo, but I couldn’t get through. And someone stole one of the prototypes for the new mental mouse.”

 

Henry winced. That was definitely not good, considering that Zane’s project focused controlling drones as both defensive and offensive weapons. “Do you know where Jack is?”

 

“I haven’t seen him today,” Fargo responded. “Why?”

 

“He told Nathan he was going to check in with Allison here at GD.” Henry rubbed his eyes, trying to pull his thoughts together. “And he hadn’t shown up at Café Diem to meet Nathan for lunch.”

 

Zane ran both hands through his hair. “Okay, so we’ve got a missing sheriff, no way to call out, and stolen technology that could leave Eureka a smoking hole in the ground if it ends up in the wrong hands. Great.”

 

“Fargo, get out of Global and find Jo,” Henry directed. “Tell her what’s been going on, and find Nathan.”

 

“What should I tell Dr. Stark?”

 

“Tell him that we need him up here,” Henry responded. “I’ll take care of the rest.”

 

Fargo nodded and jogged off, leaving Zane and Henry to stare at each other. “Do you have any way to track the individual devices?” Henry asked.

 

Zane hesitated. “I don’t know. Cell service has been disrupted, so any tracking signal would also be—Hang on.” In one of his lightning fast shifts, Zane turned on his heel and began jogging down the hallway, leaving Henry to follow in his wake.

 

The younger man found an empty lab and set up one of the local terminals. “The computer system controlling Global—the lights, the temperature controls, all of it—is behind a firewall. It might still be secure, and capable of tracking the missing device.”

 

“Good.” Henry watched as Zane typed away, waiting until he could see the results on the screen. “Is—”

 

“It’s on the move,” Zane confirmed. “It looks like it’s headed back this way.”

 

Henry nodded, unsurprised. “Let’s work on finding Jack and ensuring that the drones are secure.”

 

Zane shook his head. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you: it’s too late for that. We’ve got several drones missing from the storage bay.”


	14. Chapter 14

Nathan had never been so relieved when Allison suddenly announced, “I’m sorry, Nathan, but I have to go. We should do this again sometime.”

 

Considering that the previous two hours had been among the most uncomfortable of his life, Nathan wasn’t inclined to agree. He also couldn’t help but note that Allison had started to call him Nathan, rather than Nate.

 

“Of course,” Nathan said, using all the courtesy he could dredge up.

 

Allison rose and left, her heels clicking rapidly on the floor of Café Diem. Nathan watched her go, wondering where his apprehension was coming from. He was torn between staying to wait for Jack, and leaving to go look for him, or at least to do something other than sit around and drink coffee. By this point, Jack was hours late, and Nathan didn’t believe that he’d been stood up.

 

That meant that Jack had been detained, and Nathan didn’t much like that idea.

 

“Dr. Stark!” Fargo called as he entered the café, just as Nathan was rising from his booth. “Have you seen Sheriff Carter?”

 

“Not since this morning,” Nathan replied. “Dr. Blake just left. What’s wrong?”

 

Fargo quickly filled him in, words almost overlapping in his haste to explain. “Henry wants you up at Global.”

 

Nathan didn’t ask why. “What about Jo?”

 

“She’s meeting us outside.” Fargo led the way, and sure enough, Jo was parked in front of Café Diem, engine running. Nathan shouldered past Fargo to climb into the passenger seat, leaving Fargo the back.

 

“Hey!” Fargo protested loudly. “I don’t want to sit in the backseat like some criminal.”

 

“Tough,” Nathan replied succinctly. “Get in, Dr. Fargo.”

 

Fargo climbed in, grumbling, but Nathan ignored him. “What are we looking at?”

 

“From everything I could find, Carter is somewhere inside Global. Dr. Blake isn’t answering her phone.” Jo began speeding towards Global. “We’ve got some highly sensitive equipment missing, too.”

 

“What sort of equipment?” Nathan asked suspiciously.

 

“Zane’s new mental mouse with the stupid name,” Fargo piped up. “He stole the idea from me.”

 

“He was asked to work on it by the DOD,” Jo said repressively. “Deal with it, Fargo.”

 

Nathan turned in his seat. “What exactly is it, Fargo?”

 

Fargo blinked, clearly surprised. “I thought—Never mind.”

 

“Let me guess, the other Stark knew about it?” Nathan asked dryly.

 

“He tried it out,” Fargo replied. “There were problems. But the one that Zane is using—the Thought Responsive Offensive Network—is specifically attuned to war drones for offensive and defensive purposes.”

 

Nathan blinked. “TRON?”

 

“That’s what I said,” Fargo responded.

 

“It’s a perfectly good name,” Jo defended her boyfriend.

 

Nathan decided that it was time to get back on topic. “And one of the TRONs is missing?”

 

“Along with several drones,” Fargo confirmed. “Zane is kind of freaking out.”

 

Nathan frowned. “Does the TRON operate on a dedicated frequency?”

 

“I don’t think so,” Fargo replied. “It’s on rotating frequencies to reduce the risk of hacking.”

 

Nathan’s mind was already racing ahead to possible solutions. “Just because the risk is reduced doesn’t mean it can’t be done. I want to find Jack first.”

 

“We’ll find him,” Jo assured him grimly as she skidded to a stop in front of Global Dynamics.

 

They piled out of the car, Jo having to open the door for Fargo in the backseat. He was still grumbling about being forced to sit in the back, and Nathan hid a smirk.

 

Henry met them in the lobby. “Where’s Allison?”

 

“She left Café Diem just before Fargo found me,” Nathan replied. “Why?”

 

“I think she might be the one who took the TRON. The cameras were disabled, and security is very tight for that lab,” Henry replied. “Plus, we tracked it, and it just arrived back in Global.”

 

“That would probably be Dr. Blake, then.” Nathan ran a hand through his hair. “What’s the plan, Henry?”

 

“We need to stop the drones first.” Henry grimaced sympathetically when Nathan glowered. “I’m sorry, Nathan. I know you want to go after Jack, but he can take care of himself. The drones are not something we can afford to lose.”

 

“Not to mention the fact that they can do some serious damage,” Zane put in. “There’s a reason the TRON is still testing. I haven’t worked the bugs out yet.”

 

“What are we looking at?” Nathan demanded.

 

There were times he didn’t mind filling another Stark’s shoes, Nathan thought, and this was one of them. The other Stark had apparently commanded respect, and he could do the same without working too hard at it.

 

“Assuming that the TRON works perfectly? Nothing Dr. Blake doesn’t want to happen,” Zane replied. “Although that’s not saying much if she’s gone crazy.”

 

“She hasn’t gone crazy, Zane.” Henry gave Zane a disapproving look. “She was uniquely susceptible to the electronic pulse, and even though the echoes have dissipated, she’s still feeling the effects.”

 

“Same difference,” Zane muttered under his breath.

 

“From what I understand, we’re going to want to approach Dr. Blake carefully,” Nathan said. “If she becomes too agitated, it could spark a problem, right?”

 

“A big problem,” Zane agreed.

 

“I should probably be the one to approach her. I’m the one who knows her best,” Henry said, pulling his cap off of his head and rubbing his forehead.

 

An alarm sounded, and they all looked around warily. “What the hell is that?” Nathan asked.

 

“Nothing good,” Zane replied.

 

“Nathan, you and Zane work on finding the drones and disabling the TRON. Fargo, help Jo find Jack.”

 

Nathan wanted to be the one looking for Jack, but he nodded. “Fine. Henry—”

 

“Don’t worry,” Henry said, cutting him off. “Jack will be just fine.”

 

~~~~~

 

All she had wanted was to distract Jack for long enough to have Nathan to herself, and the drones would help. If she could lock Jack in Section 4 and prevent him from calling out for long enough, Allison could—

 

She didn’t know. She couldn’t think straight. It was just like those first days after Nathan’s death when her grief threatened to short circuit her brain, when she couldn’t think, could barely breathe.

 

But if she could just _talk_ to Nathan, maybe she could get a handle on it, maybe he would look at her the way he used to.

 

During their lunch, however, Nathan had been distracted, looking at his watch, and at the door, looking for Jack. When he looked at her, he saw a stranger, and there was nothing but pity in his eyes.

 

She put her head in her hands, sitting behind the desk in her darkened office.

 

Allison had no idea what she should do next. Jack was somewhere in the bowels of GD, working his way through the air ducts. Nathan hadn’t seemed any more interested in her after lunch than he had before. She just wanted to close her eyes and have it all go away.

 

The alarms went off, and Allison glanced up, wondering briefly if she should check into it. In the next moment, she’d decided that it wasn’t worth it. Henry was on top of things; he’d take care of whatever it was.

 

She just needed a moment, and her office would be safe enough.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack crawled through the air duct, his knees, shoulder, and ribs protesting mightily. He had tried to keep as much weight off his left side as possible, but crawling around certainly hadn’t been on the list of doctor-approved activities.

 

Of course, shower sex probably hadn’t been either, but he had no regrets there.

 

He wanted to be sure that he was out of Section 4 before he got out of the ductwork. Jack had no idea how much of the section had been sealed off, but he wasn’t about to take that risk.

 

There was a series of beeps from the tunnel ahead of him, and Jack could just manage to make out twin red lights in the darkness, floating about the height of his head. “Uh, hi?” he called.

 

No response from the direction of the lights, and Jack kept crawling. Jack heard another series of beeps and he slowed again. “Hello?”

 

The red lights continued to float, remaining stationary. As Jack got a little closer, he could just make out the outline of a drone. “Martha?” Jack tried again. “Did Fargo send you after me?”

 

Still no response, and Jack began to get really nervous. “Look, I don’t know what you’re here for, but if you could show me the way out…”

 

He heard another beep, and then a sharp hiss as a small, smoking hole opened up in front of him. Jack pulled back, swearing in surprise. “Hey! What was that for?”

 

The drone remained steady, and Jack turned to head back the way he’d come only to find his way blocked by a second drone. “Okay, this is just a big misunderstanding,” he began.

 

The second drone beeped a warning, then there was another sharp hiss and yet another smoking hole.

 

“Shit,” Jack muttered, sitting back on his heels. He really, really needed to get out of the ductwork, but there seemed to be no way past the drones.

 

He wanted his gun; Jack wanted a weapon of any kind. All he had was his cell phone, and when he pulled it out, he still didn’t have a signal.

 

“Okay, okay,” Jack muttered, trying to think. He needed to find a way out of this. Looking from one drone to the other, he calculated exactly how much trouble he was going to be in for destroying two very expensive pieces of government equipment.

 

Trying not to think about how his injuries had probably slowed his reflexes, Jack moved to a position directly between the two drones. “Sorry, guys, but I have to get out of here. I’m already late for a lunch date—and when I tell you that this is the first date I’ve had in over a year, I’m sure you’ll understand.”

 

The drones vibrated a bit, seemingly undecided about what to do with him.

 

“So, if you’ll excuse me…” Jack launched himself at the first drone, then twisted mid-air and flattened himself against the side of the duct. Both drones shot at the same time, and Jack breathed a sigh of relief as they both went down.

 

“I can’t believe that worked.” Jack sat back, wincing as he took a deep breath and his ribs protested.

 

He jumped as the alarms blared, slamming his head against the ceiling, cursing loudly again. “Come on!” he shouted, not caring who might hear him. “Give me a break already!”

 

When there was no response but more alarms, Jack began moving again, estimating that he had at least another hundred yards to go before he was in the clear.

 

~~~~~

 

Jo found their entrance into Section 4 blocked, which Fargo had determined to be Carter’s most likely location.

 

“At least, that’s the last place the security cameras showed him being,” Fargo had said, his expression a mixture of smug satisfaction and anxiety. Jo knew she made him nervous, and she had to admit it amused her.

 

“Can you get us in?” she asked.

 

Fargo frowned, poking away at his data tablet. “I can’t engage the system override,” he admitted finally. “Whoever locked us out has the highest level of clearance.”

 

“Dr. Blake,” Jo said grimly. “Damn it. Is there another way in?”

 

There was a beep and a whir from behind them, and Jo turned to see a drone floating in midair. “Is that Martha?”

 

“No, that’s one of the new drones,” Fargo replied, eyes widening as it began glowing a deep, angry red. “And I don’t think it wants us here.”

 

Jo didn’t argue with him, instead moving away from the door into Section 4, keeping Fargo behind her the entire time. “Is there any way to get around TRON?”

 

“Not without Zane and Dr. Stark. They’ll have to take care of it.” Fargo swallowed nervously. “It still looks angry.”

 

Jo began to get an idea. “Where’s Martha, Fargo?”

 

“In my lab.”

 

She backed up, nudging Fargo along, relieved when the drone showed no signs of following. “Okay, let’s go find her.”

 

Jo let Fargo lead the way to his lab, one floor up, although she insisted they take the stairs. So far, cell phone signals had been interrupted, and Section 4 had sealed itself off for no reason at all. She had no idea if there were others trapped in there, and no way to find out until Fargo managed to get past the system override.

 

Right now, they had one shot at getting past the drones to find Jack.

 

Martha was waiting for them in Fargo’s lab, vibrating with something that looked a lot like robotic anxiety. Fargo immediately began crooning, “It’s okay, Martha. We need your help finding Sheriff Carter, though.”

 

She emitted a series of beeps and whirs that reminded Jo a bit of R2D2.

 

Fargo didn’t seem to have any trouble understanding her message. “It’s one of Zane’s projects. Just ignore it.” He turned to Jo and whispered conspiratorially, “Martha is picking up the low level signal from the TRON, and it’s making her antsy.”

 

Jo had long ago become used to the strong personalities the AIs in Eureka always seemed to take on. Martha was no exception, and she seemed to have developed an even stronger sense of self around Fargo.

 

“Do you think you can find Sheriff Carter?” Jo asked her, and she didn’t need Fargo’s interpretation to decipher the derisive hoot from the drone. Clearly, Martha didn’t have any doubts about her own abilities, and she didn’t appreciate Jo questioning her either.

 

“Don’t be afraid to shoot down any of the other drones if they pose a threat,” Jo said. “They’re acting weird.”

 

Martha shot off, and Jo watched her go, hoping that Martha could give Carter the backup he probably needed. “Okay, we need to figure out what’s going on here,” Jo said. “Any suggestions?”

 

Fargo thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I guess we could go see how Zane and Dr. Stark are doing?”

 

Jo shook her head decisively. “Not without Carter. We’d only be a distraction. As long as Nate thinks we’re looking for the sheriff, he’ll be able to concentrate.”

 

Fargo frowned. “What about Henry?”

 

“What about him?”

 

“What if he can’t talk Dr. Blake down?” Fargo asked, sounding as though he was warming to his topic. “Shouldn’t we do something to help?”

 

“Like what?” Jo asked tiredly.

 

Fargo snapped his fingers, brightening. “She wants Dr. Stark—the _other_ Dr. Stark—back, right? So, let’s give him to her.”

 

Jo raised her eyebrows. “How, Fargo?”

 

“Holograph,” Fargo explained succinctly. “She was watching one of Dr. Stark over and over again yesterday. We should be able to distract her with a different one.”

 

Jo considered the plan for a moment, wondering if they shouldn’t just allow Zane and Nate to work their magic. On the other hand, it was hard to tell how long it would take them to hack the signal, and from what she knew of TRON, the drones would continue to react to Allison’s thoughts and wishes—conscious or unconscious. A distraction certainly wouldn’t hurt, just in case Henry couldn’t talk her out of keeping Jack a prisoner.

 

“Okay,” she agreed. “Let’s create a distraction.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 

Henry approached Allison’s office cautiously, uncertain what frame of mind he’d find her in, or how she would respond to his presence.

 

Her door was closed, the office dark, but he could see a flickering light just behind the window coverings. He suspected that she was holed up, licking her wounds, and that she’d tip over the edge soon if he couldn’t reach her.

 

Rapping on the door cautiously, Henry sighed when Allison didn’t respond. The door was secured, but Henry didn’t let that faze him. He knelt down next to the locking mechanism and began to fiddle.

 

Ten minutes later, the lock clicked, and the door swung open. “Allison?” Henry called out. He could just make out the outline of her figure sitting behind her desk. She had her face buried in her hands, and he winced, knowing how difficult this had to be for her. “Allison?”

 

“Go away, Henry.”

 

He hadn’t been sure she’d respond at all, so even that much was a victory. “I can’t do that. You know why I’m here, don’t you?”

 

“I can’t do anything about the alarms.” Allison’s voice was muffled by her hands, and she didn’t look up as he entered slowly. “I’m safe in here.”

 

“But you can’t stay in here, Allison,” Henry said gently. “Where’s the TRON?”

 

“What?”

 

“The mental mouse prototype that Zane was working on,” Henry prompted. “We know that you took it, and that you’ve been using it to keep Jack in Section 4. I need you to give it to me now.”

 

When she didn’t respond, Henry took a step closer to her desk. “Allison, we need to disable the device. Did you know there were drones flying around GD?”

 

“I don’t know anything about it!” Allison burst out. “I can’t help you, Henry!”

 

“I just need the prototype, Allison. That’s all. Just give me the prototype, and I’ll get out of your hair.” And he’d be calling one of the doctors from the infirmary just as soon as it was safe, Henry thought.

 

Allison shook her head, but she didn’t move her hands, preventing Henry from reading her expression. “I can’t help you.”

 

“Allison, I need your help.”

 

Henry whirled to see Nathan standing just behind him—and not Nate, Nathan Stark. Allison had risen to her feet, her mouth gaping. “Nathan—”

 

“I need your help,” Nathan repeated. Henry realized suddenly that Nathan’s expression hadn’t changed, and that he wasn’t actually _there_.

 

“We need the TRON device,” Henry said, thinking quickly. “Nathan needs you to give it to me.”

 

Allison appeared uncertain. “Really?”

 

“I’m sure of it.” Henry held out his hand. “Let me call the droids back in, Allison. Let me take care of this right now.”

 

“It’s my job,” Allison replied, but she sounded unsure, and Henry thought he might be getting close to convincing her.

 

Henry made certain that none of his impatience showed on his face. “It’s okay to let this one go, Allison. Let me help you, just like you want to help Nathan.”

 

Her hand went up to a spot behind her ear, and Henry waited with baited breath. A moment later, Allison had dropped the TRON in his hand; it was no bigger than a pencil eraser, and yet it had caused such trouble.

 

“Thank you.” Henry walked over to the intercom system and phoned the infirmary. Thankfully, with the TRON disconnected, the phones were working again, and he said, “This is Henry Deacon. I need a med team up to Dr. Blake’s office immediately.”

 

He turned back to Allison; she had collapsed back into her chair, and he knelt down next to her. “I’m right here, Allison. I’m not going to leave you.”

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan let out a cry of triumph. “Got it!”

 

“Let’s see.” Zane leaned in, looking over his shoulder. “You managed to hijack the signal?”

 

“The drones should be turning back now.”

 

Zane returned to his own computer and grinned broadly. “They’re coming back to dock, although it looks like two are offline.”

 

Nathan rose. “Let’s find Jack.”

 

“Whoa,” Zane said, grabbing his arm. “Hang on a second, big guy. Global is a big place. Maybe we should figure out where he is first.”

 

“How?” Nathan asked.

 

Zane turned back to his computer. “Things are still slow here. Allison basically gave anybody who wanted it the day off. She said that if people were still feeling the effects of the pulse, it would be better if they stayed home.”

 

“How many people took her up on that offer?” Nathan asked.

 

“Probably about half of the employees,” Zane replied absently. “Okay, I’ve narrowed down the locations. Sections 4 and 5 are the only sections that are sealed off, and the sheriff wouldn’t be able to access Section 5. That means Section 4 is the most likely place he’d be, and—here.” Zane’s finger jabbed at the screen. “See that blip? That has to be Sheriff Carter. He’s moving towards Section 3, through the air ducts, though. We can meet him where he’s coming out.”

 

Nathan nodded shortly, anxious to get to Jack, but he let Zane take the lead. He didn’t know the building the way Zane did, and he wasn’t about to allow his impatience to prevent him from helping.

 

“Oh, hell.” Zane stopped cold, staring at the drone that hovered in front of them.

 

“I diverted them,” Nathan insisted.

 

Zane put out an arm and slowly backed them both up against the wall. “Hang on. Just give it a minute.”

 

The drone hovered uncertainly, and Nathan held his breath. He’d worked with drones similar to this one, and they could be deadly. After another moment, the drone beeped at them, then zipped down the hallway towards the docking area.

 

“Oh, thank God,” Zane breathed. “I didn’t know how we were going to get out of that one.”

 

Nathan grinned, relieved. “Me neither.”

 

Zane responded in kind. “We should do this again sometime.”

 

Nathan snorted, but his grin didn’t fade. “If it’s all the same to you, I think I’d like to go a few days _without_ running for my life.”

 

Zane shrugged, unrepentant. “It reminds you you’re alive.”

 

Nathan supposed that was true, but he’d been running for far too long to appreciate it as the novelty Zane viewed it as. “So, Jack?” he prompted.

 

“We’re on our way,” Zane assured him.

 

~~~~~

 

Jack had nearly reached the hatch that would put him out in Section 3, assuming that he had his directions right. Everything hurt, and all he wanted was to lay down and sleep for a couple of days. Unfortunately, duty called; if he didn’t manage to get out, Nathan would come looking for him, and Jack didn’t want to put him at risk.

 

When he heard the beeping behind him, Jack sighed. It only figured that he’d be stopped again when he was so close to getting out.

 

Turning around slowly, Jack eyed the drone. “Look, I don’t want to be rude, but I’m really, really late for an appointment, so can we just get this over with?”

 

The drone let out a derisive hoot.

 

Jack blinked, realizing belatedly that this drone looked a little different than the last two he’d run into. “Martha?”

 

She beeped at him.

 

“So, uh, you know the way out of here?”

 

Martha beeped and pulled back.

 

Jack frowned. “I thought that—” He jerked his head behind, at the exit behind him.

 

Martha repeated her derisive beep and began slowly flying away. Jack sighed and began following Martha, suspecting that she’d herd him the way she thought he should go if he didn’t.

 

The drone took a turn Jack already passed up as a dead end, and he followed Martha reluctantly. He zoned out after a few minutes, focusing on crawling, and trying to ignore every move that jolted his aching body.

 

Jack was so focused on moving, in fact, that he didn’t realize that Martha had stopped until his forehead bumped into Martha’s casing. Martha whirled and beeped. Jack sat back on his heels. “Sorry, sorry.” He saw the hatch and breathed out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God.” Belatedly, he added, “And thank you, Martha.”

 

She beeped and then took off in the opposite direction down the air duct, leaving Jack to wonder if he was doing the right thing. Getting out took some work; Jack ended up having to kick the vent out, since the screw heads were all on the other side.

 

Jack glanced out carefully, relieved to see an empty lab. Using his good arm judiciously, Jack lowered himself out, then headed for the door. The colors made it clear that he was in Section 3, and in an area he was relatively familiar with, and Jack headed for the exit.

 

He pulled out his cell phone as soon as he thought he might actually get out scot-free and dialed Jo’s number.

 

“Carter.”

 

If he wasn’t mistaken, Jo actually sounded relieved. “Yeah, it’s me. You need to get to Allison. I think—”

 

“Already done,” Jo assured him. “Henry’s holding an intervention with Allison, and Nate and Zane are working on getting the drones back.”

 

Jack  felt a smile pull at his lips as he spotted Nathan jogging down the hallway towards him. “Ah, gotta go, Jo. I’ll meet you in the infirmary, okay?”

 

“See you soon, Sheriff,” she promised. “And tell Zane to tag along.”

 

“Will do.” Jack hung up just as Nathan reached him. “Hey.”

 

“Jack.” Nathan gave him a once-over, clearly searching for any injuries. “You okay?”

 

Jack didn’t hesitate. He walked up and pulled Nathan’s lips down to his own. Nathan made a sound that was half need, half relief and deepened the kiss further. “Yeah, I’m okay,” he said when he finally broke off the kiss. “You?”

 

“Just fine now.” Nathan’s large hands framed Jack’s face, and Jack could feel the other man’s frame vibrating with relief. “We should get you checked out.”

 

“We’re meeting Jo in the infirmary,” Jack replied, looking past Nathan at Zane. “She wanted to see you.”

 

Zane grinned, appearing all too pleased with himself. “Great. I’ll just head that way.”

 

When Zane had disappeared down the hall, Nathan leaned in for another kiss.  “You scared me,” he murmured when they stopped to breathe.

 

“Nothing to be scared of,” Jack replied. “I took down two drones bare-handed.”

 

Nathan let out a raspy chuckle, his hands squeezing Jack’s shoulders before he released the other man. “Let’s get you to the infirmary.”

 

Jack sighed, wanting to argue, but knowing that it was pointless. “Yeah. And then I really want a beer—and a cheeseburger.”

 

Nathan wrapped an arm around Jack’s shoulders. “Anything you want.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 

Jo hadn’t been worried about Zane; he could take care of himself, and if he and Nate succeeded, the drones would be out of the way. Still, she couldn’t deny that she was incredibly relieved to see him swagger into the infirmary.

 

Not that she was about to let him know that—at least, not right away.

 

“Where’s Sheriff Carter?”

 

“Behind me. I thought I’d let him and the new Dr. Stark enjoy their reunion.” Zane moved into her personal space. “Just like I thought we could enjoy ours.”

 

Jo smirked. “You know what they say about making assumptions.”

 

Zane leaned in for a kiss, and Jo met him halfway. He _had_ stopped the drones from taking GD apart, after all. When she pulled back, he asked, “How’s Dr. Blake?”

 

“They’re treating her with a mild sedative now,” Jo replied, “but Henry thinks she’ll be fine. It’s just going to take a little more time for the effects of the pulse to wear off.”

 

She looked over Zane’s shoulder at Carter as he came through the infirmary doors, Nate on his heels. Carter’s clothing was dusty, he had streaks of dirt down one side of his face, and he was limping, but Jo had seen him in worse shape after other particularly Eurekan emergencies.

 

“Carter? You okay?”

 

He shrugged and winced. “A little the worse for wear, but I’ll be fine.”

 

“You need to get checked out,” Nate insisted, taking Carter’s arm in a possessive grip.

 

Jo thought it interesting that Carter didn’t try to brush him off, but instead just sighed. “Yeah, I know. What about Allison?”

 

Since he aimed the question at Jo, she responded with the same news she’d given Zane moments before. “She’s going to be fine, Carter,” Jo added.

 

“She will be.” Henry emerged from one of the private rooms at the back of the infirmary. “Allison will take a little longer to bounce back, but she _will_ be fine, Jack.”

 

“How long is she going to be in there?”

 

Henry shook his head. “I don’t know. Probably a day or two, until we’re certain that she’s on the mend. I don’t think it will take much to nudge her brain back in the right direction, but we’ll want to keep her under observation for a time.”

 

Jack nodded, apparently satisfied. “Thanks, Henry, Jo.”

 

“Let’s get you checked out,” Henry replied, leading Jack away with a hand on his shoulder. “I promise, we’ll try to make this quick.”

 

Jo stopped Nate from following Jack with a hand on his arm. “What about you? Are you okay?”

 

Nate shrugged. “As long as Jack gets a clean bill of health, I am.”

 

Jo smiled. “You should get checked out, too, as long as you’re here.”

 

Nate made a noncommittal sound. “Yeah. Can I, uh—”

 

“Go.” Jo watched him as he strode over to Jack, standing close to the sheriff. She watched as Carter tilted his head up, meeting Nate’s lips with his own in a brief kiss.

 

She couldn’t help the smirk that crossed her lips, and she turned back to Zane. “I’m on duty tonight, but I think I could probably take a dinner break.”

 

Zane grinned and nipped at her lower lip. “Your place or mine?”

 

Jo grinned. “Mine. Definitely.”

 

~~~~~

 

_“What’s it going to take to get you into bed, Marshall?”_

_Jack snorted, focusing on his weapon. “I told you, Nathan. This is gratitude.”_

_“What the hell are you so scared of?” Nathan pulled his chair around, closer to Jack’s, invading his space. He watched as Jack’s graceful, capable hands reassembled the weapon; Nathan couldn’t help but be fascinated._

_Jack set the weapon down, then turned to face Nathan. “I’m not scared, but I know how this works, Nathan. Personal involvement—”_

_“Is discouraged, if not prohibited,” Nathan supplied. “You’re no longer primary, Jack.”_

_“And I got myself removed because we were getting too close.”_

_“So? What’s the problem?”_

_“The problem—”_

_Nathan decided that he didn’t want to listen to the end of that explanation, and he shut Jack up the way he’d longed to do for months. His lips covered Jack’s, and the other man responded immediately, pulling him in closer, his mouth hungry._

_When they both finally broke it off, Nathan was breathing hard, and Jack’s chest was heaving, too. “God, Jack.”_

_“Address your prayers to the big man, not me.” Jack smirked. “For the record, I still think that this could be a mistake.”_

_“It’s a risk worth taking,” Nathan argued. “I want to take it.”_

_“I can’t transfer to D.C. for a while,” Jack replied. “It’s going to take time, and—”_

_“We’ll work it out.” Nathan couldn’t resist leaning in for another brief kiss. “I’m okay with this, Jack.”_

_Jack ran his hands through Nathan’s hair, then just hung on to Nathan’s shoulders. “Okay,” Jack said slowly. “We’ll figure it out.”_

 

When Nathan woke, he could still taste the coffee Jack had been drinking just before they’d kissed for the first time—and his arm was asleep. He turned his head, smiling when he saw Jack’s head on the pillow next to his. Jack snored softly, and Nathan swallowed his chuckle, easing his arm out from under Jack’s inert body.

 

He pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt, then slipped out of Jack’s room and into the bathroom. The house was dark and quiet when he padded downstairs, and SARAH waited until he was in the kitchen before asking, “Coffee, Dr. Stark?”

 

“Please.” He glanced at the clock. “Please don’t bother waking Sheriff Carter up this morning. He won’t be going into work.”

 

“Of course, Dr. Stark. Your packages are on the kitchen table.”

 

Nathan had completely forgotten that his orders had arrived. “Thanks, SARAH.”

 

He’d just finished pulling his new clothing out of its plastic wrap when Zoe hurried downstairs. “Hey, you’re up early,” she said. “Oooh, new stuff.”

 

“I needed new clothing,” he replied. “And new running shoes. You have school today?”

 

“Yep.” She winced as she glanced at the clock. “And I’m running late. You’ll take care of Dad?”

 

Nathan smiled. “Of course. I’ll see you this evening.”

 

To his surprise, Zoe gave him a quick, hard hug. “Thanks for getting him home in one piece yesterday. I didn’t have a chance to say that before.”

 

Nathan was too surprised to do much more than wave as she grabbed her bag and flew out the door, feeling warmth spread through him slowly. He’d thought that Zoe seemed accepting of him and his relationship with Jack, but he hadn’t been certain.

 

No one had been around, however, and there was no one she had to reassure or impress.

 

He picked up the pair of running shoes he’d ordered and stared at them for a moment, considering a run, then giving up on the idea. “SARAH, what kind of information do you have on recent AI development?”

 

“Dr. Fargo sent all of his recent information and research articles, Dr. Stark,” SARAH replied cheerfully. “He thought you might be interested.”

 

“Put it up on the screen,” Nathan replied, flopping back on the couch, leaving everything scattered on the table. “We’ll see if I can’t improve on Fargo’s design.”

 

He was already making plans to do just that a few hours later when Jack came down the stairs, yawning widely. “Hey. You weren’t there when I woke up.”

 

“I woke up early, and I didn’t think I’d get back to sleep,” Nathan replied, throwing a smile over his shoulder. “Before you ask, Zoe got off to school just fine.”

 

Jack sat down slowly next to Nathan, their shoulders brushing. “You okay?”

 

“I’m fine.” Nathan offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Just had some vivid dreams, is all.”

 

“What sort?”

 

“The first time I talked you into bed,” Nathan replied frankly.

 

Jack glanced away, his expression guarded. “How did you talk me into it?”

 

“Like this.” Nathan leaned in, pressing his lips to Jack’s gently, making certain that he rested his weight on the couch. Jack pulled him in, deepening the kiss, hands buried in Nathan’s hair.

 

When Jack leaned into him, Nathan took his weight, letting Jack set the pace, and trying not to groan when he pulled back. “That’s quite the convincing argument,” Jack said with a grin.

 

“Sometimes I get my way,” Nathan shot back.

 

“More often than you don’t, I’d wager.” Jack’s thumb caressed his collarbone, and just that small touch caused Nathan to lean in. “Tell me something.”

 

“Anything,” Nathan promised recklessly.

 

“Tell me about that first time,” Jack said. “I’ll see if I can top it.”

 

Nathan hesitated. “It seems—strange, telling you about yourself. Almost—”

 

“Almost like you’re cheating?” Jack suggested quietly. “Tell me about it.”

 

He brushed a hand over Jack’s hair, and then a thumb over his cheek to catch a stray eyelash. “I’d like to.”

 

Jack’s smile softened. “We’ve got all day.”

 

~~~~~

 

Allison woke slowly, recognizing the infirmary as soon as she opened her eyes. “Kevin—”

 

“I called the nanny, and she contacted your parents,” Henry soothed, taking her hand in his sure, callused grip. “They’re going to take Kevin for the next week to give you some time to recuperate.”

 

She closed her eyes against the pounding headache. “What happened?”

 

“You were affected by the pulse more strongly than most,” Henry replied. “And the TRON exacerbated the effect even more. You aren’t responsible for your actions, Allison.”

 

She swallowed as the memories came pouring back in. “How’s Jack?”

 

“In one piece, and none the worse for wear,” Henry assured her. “He told me to let you know that he isn’t holding a grudge.”

 

Allison took a deep breath. “What’s the treatment?”

 

“Time,” Henry said gently. “And Dr. Sims is recommending an anti-depressant. It’s one of ours, and it shouldn’t take quite as long to build up in your system.”

 

Allison nodded. “I think that’s probably for the best.” She paused to gather her thoughts. “What—what about Na—Nate? Is he okay?”

 

“He’s fine. He’s with Jack.”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Allison—”

 

She didn’t know what Henry was going to say, but she knew she didn’t want to hear it. “I’m fine. I’ll _be_ fine. I just—thank you, Henry.”

 

He seemed to sense her need to be alone then, and he squeezed her hand one last time before rising from the chair next to her bed. “You have my number if you need anything.”

 

What she needed, she thought, was time to recover her dignity, and to not feel quite so much like a complete failure. Allison willed herself to sleep, and when she woke again, it was to Jack sitting next to her bed.

 

“Hey.” His smile was so friendly, so understanding, that Allison felt her face burn. “I wanted to see you. I hope that’s okay.”

 

“Jack, I’m so sorry.”

 

Jack waved off her words. “Forget it.”

 

“Jack—”

 

“Seriously, forget it,” he repeated, more forcefully this time. “You think I’d be upset over another experiment gone wrong?”

 

“No.” She glanced away. “Still, I’m sorry.”

 

He reached for her hand, clasping it in both of his. “I know, but it’s not your fault, and I’m in one piece. There’s no point in blaming yourself.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he squeezed her hand in warning. “I know that doesn’t mean you won’t, but I’m telling you that I don’t harbor any hard feelings.”

 

“And Nate?”

 

“He feels the same.” Jack sighed. “Promise me you won’t beat yourself up too much over this.”

 

“I promise to try,” Allison replied, feeling something begin to uncurl in her gut. “Thanks.”

 

“Hang in there, Allison.” Jack pressed warm lips to her forehead, and Allison closed her eyes, feeling a wave of gratitude for the friendship that Jack had always offered, even when he’d wanted more. “I’ll be back.”

 

Allison watched Jack leave, and she closed her eyes against the sharp stab of pain for what might have been—what if she’d fallen for Jack, instead of falling for Nathan again. What if she had encouraged him at any point in the last five months? What if an alternate version of Nathan hadn’t shown up?

 

What if?

 

And, after allowing herself to wallow for a little while, Allison pressed the call button with the intent of getting out of the infirmary and going home.

 

It was time for her to get her life back.

 

**One Year Later**

 

Jack stepped inside Nathan’s lab and shook his head. The other man was staring at a whiteboard, scowling. There were circuit boards and wires spread out over the waist-high tables that lined the walls and ran down the center of the room, and a half-made model that might almost be human-shaped laying on the table nearest Nathan.

 

“Looks like Dr. Frankenstein’s lab,” Jack said.

 

Nathan didn’t even turn, which Jack thought was progress. It had taken quite awhile for Nathan to relax enough not to startle at every unexpected sound. “I’m busy.”

 

“You’ve been at it all night,” Jack pointed out mildly. “Also, you have a meeting at Global.”

 

Now Nathan did whirl, his eyes widening with alarm. Jack might have laughed if he hadn’t known how on-edge Nathan was about his meeting with General Mansfield. “Shit. Jack—”

 

“Relax,” Jack told him, holding up a garment bag. “I’ve got your suit right here, and you’ve got time for a shower before we have to leave.”

 

Nathan strode across the lab to give him a hard kiss before snatching the bag out of his hand. “Thanks.”

 

Jack snorted and shook his head as Nathan took off for the shower, which had been there during the first Stark’s reign in this lab. He looked around, hands shoved in his pockets, studying the equations and wires and bits of equipment.

 

The only reason he’d left Nathan here all night was because he’d been on call, and Jack had understood how pressured Nathan felt to come up with results before his meeting with the general. Once this was over, once Nathan was cleared to travel, Jack had every intention of booking some personal time for both of them, and taking off for parts unknown.

 

For the first time in years, Jack was ready to take a vacation, as long as he wasn’t alone.

 

“How do I look?”

 

Jack turned to see that Nathan had discarded his stained jeans and t-shirt for slacks and a dress shirt. He’d apparently decided to eschew the tie and jacket, and his beard had been neatly trimmed. He looked good, and Jack grinned, ignoring his arousal.

 

He tossed the take-out bag from Café Diem in Nathan’s direction. “Great. You’ve got time for breakfast.”

 

Nathan set the bag down on a nearby workbench. “I’m not hungry.”

 

“Eat anyway,” Jack advised him. “It will settle your stomach—and you’ve been drinking coffee all night.”

 

Nathan offered him a wry smile. “You know me too well.”

 

“Damn right I do.” Jack kissed Nathan, smoothing his hair back from his face. “It’s going to be fine, Nate.”

 

He heard Nathan take a deep breath. “Let’s get this over with.”

 

“Told you,” Jack said, reaching behind him for the sack from Café Diem. “Breakfast. You’ve got time.”

 

Nathan glared at him half-heartedly. “Fine, but if I puke all over the general’s shoes, I’m blaming you.”

 

“You eat generals for breakfast, remember?” Jack asked with a smile. “Let’s get going.”

 

He didn’t bother speeding, both because he wanted to set a good example for Nathan and because he’d allowed them plenty of time to get to Global. “Whatever happens, you know I’m there for you, right?”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Nathan offered a wavering smile. “Thanks.”

 

Jack shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”

 

Allison met them in the lobby, the general by her side. Jack had thought they were going to do the meeting by teleconference, and so the fact that General Mansfield had shown up in person raised a red flag.

 

Jack tried to hide his worry as Nathan stiffened next to him. “General, it’s good to see you again.”

 

General Mansfield shook his outstretched hand. “Sheriff. How are things going?”

 

“Good. You remember Dr. Stark.” Jack strove for an air of formality, uncertain of how much the general knew about his relationship with Nathan, or what he’d think if he did know.

 

“Of course. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Dr. Stark.”

 

Nathan managed a smile, but his expression was tense, and Jack could see the muscle in his jaw ticking. “The pleasure is mine.”

 

“Why don’t we get this started?” Mansfield suggested. “I believe Dr. Blake has an interview room set aside.”

 

Jack watched Mansfield lead Nathan away, a little surprised when Allison stayed put. “I thought you were going to be there.”

 

“General Mansfield asked me to sit this one out. He wanted to talk with Nathan alone.” Allison turned to Jack with a smile. “How are things going with you two?”

 

Jack shrugged. “Good.” He grinned, unable to play it cool, as usual. “Really good.”

 

“You two are good together,” Allison said without rancor, although her smile was a little wistful. “I’m glad it’s working out for you, Jack.”

 

“Who’d have guessed?”

 

Allison smiled. “You want to wait in my office?”

 

“Yeah, that would be great.”

 

It was oddly nice to do paperwork with Allison, to let the silence hang comfortably between them. “What are you going to do once Nathan is cleared for travel?”

 

Jack glanced up when she broke the silence. “I think we might actually travel. I don’t remember the last time I got out of Eureka.”

 

“It was well over a year ago,” Allison pointed out. “You didn’t have to stay here the entire time, you know.”

 

“I didn’t want to go without him,” Jack replied simply.

 

Allison smiled. “I can understand that.”

 

Jack hesitated. “Maybe we’ll go to California. Zoe’s supposed to spend a couple of weeks with Abby after school is out. We could see her and spend the rest of the time traveling. Nathan’s mentioned surfing in the past.”

 

“You know how to surf?”

 

“I’m a California boy,” Jack replied. “Sure I do.”

 

Allison’s answer was cut off by the buzz from her intercom, and her new assistant—Fargo was heading his own department now—said, “General Mansfield is done with the interview, Dr. Blake. He’s ready for lunch.”

 

Jack glanced at the clock and was surprised to see that it was already noon. “Time flies,” he muttered. “I’ll talk to you later?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Their eyes met, and Jack swallowed the words he wanted to say—to tell her he was sorry, that he was glad they could still be friends—whatever. He didn’t know, but Jack felt like it was an ending. “See you later, Allison.”

 

She smiled at him, but Jack could tell that she felt it, too. “Have a good lunch, Jack.”

 

Nathan was waiting for him down in the lobby, rocking back on his heels, barely able to keep his excitement in check. Jack knew him well enough by now to know good news when he saw it written all over Nathan’s face.

 

“You want to let SARAH feed us lunch?” Jack suggested.

 

“Sure.” Nathan waited until they were in the Jeep before he blurted out, “I’m cleared.”

 

Jack grinned knowingly, smug in the knowledge that he’d already figured it out. He didn’t get a chance to get the jump on Nathan often. “I know.”

 

“I never get to surprise you,” Nathan complained as Jack pulled up in front of the bunker. “Come on, Jack. Give me something here.”

 

“Let’s get away,” Jack said. “We can go to L.A., hang out, go surfing.”

 

Nathan stared at him. “You’re serious.”

 

“Yeah. We both get too wrapped up in our work. If we try to stay here and take a break, something will pop up.” Jack leaned in. “Come with me?”

 

“Anywhere,” Nathan replied immediately. “You know that.”

 

Jack leaned in, grabbing the front of Nathan’s shirt, and pulling him in for a kiss. “You know I’m terrible at this, right?”

 

Nathan frowned. “At what?”

 

“Telling people I love them.”

 

Nathan blinked. “What?”

 

“I love you.”

 

The shock began to clear from Nathan’s eyes, joy slowly taking its place. “Yeah?”

 

“Yeah. So, that vacation?” Jack prompted.

 

Nathan grinned and kissed him fiercely. “Count me in.”

 

Jack couldn’t wait.

 


End file.
